Brighton, Regency Social Whirl and Victorian Seaside Resort: History and Pictures

To complement my latest TRAVELS WITH CERISE video and my travel pictures on Facebook, I post here some of my commentary, my own photos and a few historical references for you!

For references, do see listing at bottom of this page.

To view the video, do go to my FB author page:

https://www.facebook.com/CeriseDeLandAuthor 

Brighton, on the coast of Sussex, was initially a fishing village. On the Channel, the water is brisk, cold, fierce and gray...or I can say it certainly was when I was last there. The intriguing bit about Brighton is, I think, that like Bath, it retains many of the same characteristics of centuries ago.

Brighton, originally called Brighthelmstone, was small, a modest settlement on the coast for many centuries. With a rocky (not sandy) shore, the coast has an odd configuration. This features a beach and tall white cliffs, demarcated by a slope toward the sea which allows for a road on the beach and above it. Even today, you may walk along the Marine Parade (the road) atop the cliff or take the lower coastal level road to stroll along the shore of brown fist-sized rocks. Brighton has no natural harbor, although a modern man-made one for those who own pleasure crafts now exists. The better harbor is to the west, name Shoreham. There, a Custom House still stands and many of the 19th century references (such as newspapers) talk of Revenuers who went out to catch smugglers from Shoreham not Brighton.

The nature of this beach allows for sun-bathing even though walking on those rocks is very tough! The water seems deep enough to wade in or sport surf, and many do! In centuries past, many opportunists took the chance to land their various-sized vessels here to haul in cargo. Brighton, therefore, like many of the other seaside towns on the British coast, was an area were smugglers hauled in contraband. Do see the drawing below which illustrates the cliffs and various people above and below the Parade. Many said that women would often come to amuse the Custom officials while smugglers ran their boats upon the shore and quickly distributed their wares to those merchants who bought their products illegally!

Brighton, 1815

Brighton remained a small fishing village until 1783 when the Prince of Wales (later Prince Regent) visited the town to escape the attentions of his mother and father. Visiting his uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, Prinny came to Brighton often. Loving the sea air and the remoteness from London, he decided to build his own home here. He also decided to build one for his common law wife, Mrs Fitzherbert. While the plan for that house does not survive, Prinny's interest in the town influenced society to follow him. Over the decades, he came often. I currently write a series, CHRISTMAS BELLES, set in Brighton in 1815. Prinny was still Regent and his influence great. The ton came with him to visit for days, weeks, holidays or Christmas. Their presence had a great effect upon the very nature of the town and its residences.

Reward of 200 GBPounds for information
to Custom House, London about smugglers into Brighton!

At first, accommodations for the aristocratic visitors was minimal. They wished to attend His Royal Highness and so had to rent rooms in local homes. Soon it became vital that they stay longer and many wished for finer facilities than were available. A few hotels opened. One, popular then and in Victorian period, still exists.

A few of these larger homes still exist, but are re-purposed. Many of the townhouses we see in Brighton today are compact structures similar to those we see in London from this period. More striking are the Lanes (Laines)  the narrow walkways dotted with shops, pubs, restaurants huddled together a few streets north of the center of town, The Steine.

The Steine (Steyne) denotes the main vertebrae of the town, running approximately north-south. Along this major promenade one walks along a park and arrives at Prince George's marvelous attraction, the Royal Pavilion. This building, a fantasy of architecture, sports the feeling of the best of Mughul architecture outside and inside a fantasy of what was then the perception of Chinese interior decor. Few pictures are here of the inside as the Pavilion is privately owned and operated and on-line sites can offer you a good idea of the interior. (Sold by Queen Victoria to the City of Brighton, the building offers tours of its magnificent collection of art and furniture.)

When Prinny assumed the throne in 1820 on the death of his father, his visits to Brighton became fewer and fewer. Many however continued to enjoy the town, though it was no longer the center of royal activities. Townhouse development, like the marvelous Brunswick Square townhouses (and the must-see Regency Town House restoration) continued. Started in 1823, Brunswick Square boasts a wonderful U-shaped configuration that leads to the sea. The lovely butter yellow paint makes you smile to see it, even from atop British Air's i360 EYE miles up the coast!

When you are in Brighton, do take the tour of Regency Town House. For a pittance, you will have a marvelous afternoon listening to one of their curators tell you about the house, its architecture and those who bought and rented these houses. Other Georgian era townhouse squares exist and you should take a look at those, too.

During Victoria's reign, the town grew dramatically. In 1841, the first railroad line was completed. The railroad station is a beautiful example of 'muscular' Victorian architecture. Arriving there from London in less than an hour now, it took twice as long in the latter part of the 19th century. But with the railroad came Londoners who sought the sun, the sea and fun!

Even today, people come for the day. Many come for the weekend. During the Victorian era, as servants and laborers got their Half-Day, they journeyed to Brighton for the curative powers of the sea air! Ladies came with their long bloomers to wade in the water. They also changed their clothes in so-called bathing machines. Many preferred to dip in the ocean inside these little boxes on wheels!

Brighthelmston 1822

Brighton today still feels like a Victorian seaside. The long Pier, the Clock Tower and the Aquarium are all innovations of the late 19th century. You can still see them and inhale the crisp cool sea air.

Please see below for a few references, should you wish to learn more.

Brighton, 1830

Ladies of a certain reputation were known to distract those on the cliff walk as smugglers landed 

their boats and dispensed their wares to local merchants!

Brighton, 1890 showing Aquarium and clock tower along the Marine Parade! 

Seaside fun! This was the Brighton Top Hat Swim Club of the 1860s!

References:
Antram and Morriss, BRIGHTON AND HOVE, Pevsner Architectural Guides, Yale University Press, lonond, 2008.

The Regency Town House

Brighton Pavilion

Cerise went to #London #England, visited #Wellington's home, got #Regency pointers!

Wellington Arch
Across Street from entrance to Apsley House

Breathing life into a novel, especially an historical, demands research. While most of us think of dusty libraries as That Place, many authors get their kicks from traveling to the actual sites. That includes me.

Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is time consuming, not only because you must plan well, but also because it takes weeks out of your writing schedule and you hope you don't get ill or the family dog doesn't! 

But oh, yes, it is gratifying. As the child's book says, Oh, the things you'll learn!

Reading about the Duke of Wellington, he who won at Waterloo and defeated finally the might of Napoleon Bonaparte, is a far cry from visiting his home.

After all, what does one learn from visiting another's home. Think on it. Do they love art? Do they dine in bed? How vast is their library? And when in country, gazing at some long deceased nobleman's home, you may ask, where did the servants live? And was there a wine cellar?

The facts you learn from a research of Number One London, so called because it sat originally at the post road out of the city, include:

• It was originally built by another man, Baron Apsley, not a Wellesley.
• The price to build it? £10,000 
• The architect, Robert Adam, was one of the most celebrated masters of that refined style which we can call Palladian or Regency-Georgian.
• Richard, Arthur's older brother, bought the house.
• But he sold it to his more famous brother in 1817 because Richard realized his brother, famous beyond imagining after Waterloo victory, needed a stately home in London from which to...well...impress the masses and involve himself in the politics of the day.

What you learn from visiting Apsley House is amazingly complementary to those seemingly insignificant facts.

Marble statue of Napoleon
in main alcove
staircase to first floor

Walking through the house, you have that marvelous feeling of elegance, carefree expenditure on wall coverings, paintings and sculpture, appointments and upholstery. Robert Adams' attention to detail, the ceiling plaster designs, the cornices all add to the lavish feeling of air and light. The colors of yellow and red hit the eye and please you. The furniture is sumptuous, because they still do hold the annual Waterloo Dinner here each year to celebrate that 200-year-old victory that put Napoleon to an island and Britain to command all the seas.

One room of the house, on the ground floor, is entirely devoted to the Iron Duke's gifts from many nations and rulers who were freed from the threat of French imperial domination. The gold and silver, the banners abound.

Upstairs, the dining room with its enormous table and huge chairs may hold guests who can look up to find immense portraits of the men who gained from the victory at Waterloo. George IV was still Prince Regent or Prinny in June 1815, not to rule until 1820 after the death of his father George III. The emperor of Austria stands here as does the restored French Bourbon King Louis XVIII. King Leopold of Belgium is a handsome creature and you nod, understanding why Princess Charlotte fell in love with the man instantly.

The next room, a salon, boasts portraits, large and small, of all those who aided or served the Iron Duke in some capacity during the wars and in particular, the battle of Waterloo. It's wonderful to look upon the originals of many portraits one finds only reproduced in books or on the web.

The Banquet Room was added to the house later at a significant cost to the Iron Duke himself. In fact, he argued with the architect's expenditures. But to your eyes and mine, (and the Iron Duke would most likely agree) the expense was worth it. Why?

During the Battle of Vitoria in June 21, 1813 as Wellington chased Napoleon's brother Joseph (whom he'd named King of Spain) back into France, the king, poor man, ran so quickly, he left behind his baggage train.
What had he taken?
A wealth of art from the Spanish royal collection at the Prado. Luckily, though British soldiers looted much from Joseph's train, officers stopped the robbery before the Madrid collection could be seized. Wellington had the collection shipped home to England in the safe-keeping of his brother, Richard. After Waterloo and end of the wars, Richard turned over his brother's captured art to him. Wellington offered the art to the newly restored King Ferdinand of Spain. However, that man was so grateful for Welllington's services, he gave them to him. They are still here, hanging in splendor in the room where the annual dinner occurs to celebrate the victory.

A few tidbits from my tour?

• The statue of Napoleon the Peacemaker by Italian sculptor Canova inspired my husband to remark after we left the house that he had the distinct impression that the Iron Duke respected Napoleon in many ways. In fact, he did. He thought that Waterloo victory was "a close run thing" and had studied Napoleon's military tactics and care of his soldiers for years. This was wise as it gave him food for thought and use among his own men.
• The price of the house originally was £10,000. But what is that in current British and American currency? £1,480,000 or $2,145,482.00
• The only portrait of a French woman in the Waterloo salon? That of Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte! Why would he have a portrait of her, you may ask? The British Government bought her house in Paris in 1814 for Wellington to live in after he chased Napoleon out the first time. After he won at Waterloo in June 1815, he resumed possession of it. The Hotel Charost on Rue Faubourg is famous for many reasons. Wellington lived in it after Waterloo. Much of the furnishings and paintings remain. Today the Hotel Charost is the official residence of the United Kingdom's ambassador to France.

And for a marvelous mystery about the Hotel Charost's purchase and Pauline's attempt to salvage items from the purchase, I hope you will read my new Regency romance, MASQUERADE WITH A MARQUESS, out soon.

More about Apsley here: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/apsley-house