James Gray: Before the rot set in. 16 October 1960 and the houses, already 140 years old, looked good enough for another century. Busby’s house was that partly hidden by the centre tree. jgc_20_009
2018: Northern section of the Phoenix Brighton, artists’ studios and gallery. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: The sorry contrast 6 years later. View from Phoenix Place of the dilapidated backs of the empty houses, 12 February 1967. jgc_20_010
2018: Rear of Phoenix Brighton. The cottages to the left side of the James Gray photograph are still there – see also jgc_20_011. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: The sorry contrast 6 years later. View from Phoenix Place of the dilapidated backs of the empty houses, 12 February 1967. One hopes that when the redevelopment takes place the cottages of Phoenix Place, of which two are shown, do not have to be sacrificed. jgc_20_011
2018: All the cottages remain, now overshadowed by the Phoenix building. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: Waterloo Place, as it looked in 1946. Charles Augustus [sic] Busby’s house, No 11, was the third one from the left. jgc_20_012
2018: Now the north-central section of Phoenix Brighton art gallery and studios. James Gray misspelt the middle name of architect Charles Busby – it was Augustin – and by 1946, Busby had been dead for several years (1786-1834). (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: The bizarre situation in 1970. Developers bought most of the 1820s houses to build fresh offices, but Miss H Silvester, who had lived at No 9 for 50 years, refused all offers for her property and refused to budge. The new blocks were built either side, and her house shored up. She was in the house when the photograph was taken on 15 February 1970, some years after the offices were built. She died in March 1974, aged 89. Her house was then demolished and the offices linked up. jgc_20_013
2018: Miss Harriet Silvester’s house is now the section of the building in the centre of the photograph, immediately to the right of the word ‘Phoenix’. The office block to which James Gray refers was originally known as Wellesley House but is now Phoenix Brighton, housing an art gallery and around 100 artist studios. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: Photographs of 1963, showing the hoarding screening Nos. 3 to 8, then only recently empty. Four years later they still stand with gaping holes in the roofs. They are part of a suggested redevelopment involving 3-13, and doubtless offices will be built here. Waterloo Place was built from 1818-1820. At No.11 Charles Augustus Busby, Architect of Brunswick Square and Terrace, lived from 1822 until 1830. Named from the Battle of Waterloo – 1815. jgc_20_006
2018: Now the southern end of Phoenix Brighton. Once again, James Gray has misspelt Busby’s middle name – it is Augustin. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: See caption for jgc_20_006 above. jgc_20_007
2018: Central section of Phoenix Brighton. (Photographer: Max Page)
James Gray: See caption for jgc_20_006 above. jgc_20_008
2018: See jgc_20_007 above. (Photographer: Max Page)