Royal Pavilion gardens

On the other side of New Road, right opposite the theatre, are the gardens of the Royal Pavilion. For some reason which I have forgotten, these were never laid out according to the original plan until a few years ago.

Theatre Royal

Leaving Queen Square, we walk past the Clock Tower (in Brighton this has capital initials!) and down North Street to New Road. Here we find the Theatre Royal, the only surviving theatre in the town.

According to the theatre's web site:
"This important grade II listed building is one of the oldest working theatres in the country with an exquisite example of a regency auditorium. With a collection of historic buildings that surround the stage house, it is the finest example of a Theatre that has evolved over the last two hundred years.

Theatre in Brighton started in 1766 at Barn Hall in Brighthelmstone, a village soon to become Brighton. Theatregoers were to patronise two other buildings in the city before The Prince of Wales gave his Royal Assent for the building of a new Theatre Royal Brighton on its present site in the summer of 1806. The Theatre first opened its doors to the public on Saturday June 27 1807 with a performance of Hamlet and The Weather Cock starring Charles Kemble of Drury Lane."

Queen Square

The upper picture is one of those taken by my wife's great grandfather around 1870 and I took the other picture earlier this year to compare the changes in this square just down from Wykeham Terrace.

There is quite a lot of minor interest in my picture: the taxis in their distinctive Brighton & Hove livery of white with turquoise bonnets and boots for starters. At the back of the square is a white building with a grey roof. This was at one time an ice rink and has also been an indoor sports centre but it started out life as the Territorial Army drill hall and it was here that Brighton Lions Club introduced bingo as a commercial venture to England.

The side of the square out of the picture was the scene of one of Brighton's grislier killings - read about it here.

Wykeham Terrace

Immediately to the south-east of St Nicholas church is Wykeham Terrace, dating from the early 19th century. The Tudor-Gothic style is unusual in Brighton. These houses have had a chequered history having served as housing to which prostitutes could be sent for rehabilitation during the middle part of the 19th century, as Army married quarters in the 20th before being taken over by squatters. The terrace was eventually sold for redevelopment and turned once more into private housing. Among the better-known of the previous residents are Dame Flora Robson (the actress) and Adam Faith (the pop singer).

St Nicholas churchyard

Nearly all the headstones and grave markers have been cleared in St Nicholas churchyard, the headstones having been placed around the churchyard wall. However, the graves of three people of particular interest have been preserved. They are Captain Nicholas Tattersall, who took King Charles II to France after the battle of Worcester, Martha Gunn, Brighton's most famous bathing lady and bathing lady to George IV, and - seen here - Phoebe Hessel. Phoebe lived to be 108, having served for many years as a private soldier without her sex being found out - even after she received a bayonet wound in the arm.

In Brighton town

I suppose that "Stanmer and Around" could stretch to Brighton town centre so let's take a stroll round the town. We'll start with St Nicholas church, which was at one time the parish church of Brighthelmstone (as Brighton used to be called). The church is built on a hill just outside what was the old town and the tower served as a landmark for fishermen.

Looking east

At 813 feet, Ditchling Beacon is the highest point on the South Downs. It is only about three miles away from here but I very rarely stop there as the car park gets so crowded. However, I did stop there the other day - just long enough to take a couple of pictures. This one is the view to the east. The village of Westmeston nestles right under the hill while the blue ridge in the distance is the High Weald.