27-28, North Street, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 27 Sep 2015

The current building on the right was built in the late 1950s on the site of a former two storeyed house that had previously been occupied by jewellers, W Davies & Son for nearly a century. The firm would also expand into neighbouring twenty eight and Image as well as having shops further up the street at Image, Image and Image Prior to Davies number twenty seven had been in commercial use since the early 19th century being used as a wine merchants, ham and beef seller, clothier, watchmaker and bazaar specialising in German products. Twenty eight had been a tobacconist under a number of different owners. When the building was rebuilt it was initially used as a clothes shop before becoming a series of restaurants over a period of thirty years. Since 2012 it has been home to One Stop Travel who deal in bus and coach tickets and moved here from their former premises on the eastern side of Old Steine. Twenty nine was originally an old coaching inn, the Coach & Horses, which operated here from 1785 until its closure in 1927. The building remained until the whole block was removed in the late 1950s becoming a photographic studio and later Lobbs the handbag merchants who also traded during this period at Image OLD IMAGES W Davies & Co in 1919 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_100.html Numbers 26-28 in 1947 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_127.html Coach & Horses in 1927 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_124.html OCCUPANTS 27 1822 - WINE MERCHANTS (Butler & Yeats) 1833-1852 - HAM & BEEF SHOP (William Spears) 1854-1861 - CLOTHIER (W Bax) 1862 - WATCHMAKER (G Birtchenall) 1864 - GERMAN BAZAAR (MH Cohen) 1865-1958 - JEWELLERS (W Davies & Son) 1960-1964 - GOWNS (Dana) 1968-2011 - RESTAURANT/CAFE (Bacon & Mini Steak House 1968, Empire Grill 1969-80, Orchid Chinese Restaurant 19871-87, Garfunkels 1988-96, Cafe Uno 1996, Deep Pan Pizza 1999-2010) 2012-2015 - TRAVEL (One Stop Travel) 28 1845-1870 - TOBACCONIST (1845-48 Thomas Mannington; 1850-54 Albert Welling; 1856-61 J Wheeler; 1862 Charles Fountain; 1864-70 W Wooldridge) 1871-1956 - JEWELLERS (W Davies & Son - Antique furniture) Rebuilt 1962-2015 - RESTAURANT (Wimpy Bar 1962-83, Theatre Pizza House 1984-86, Deep Pan Pizza House 1987-2010, Casa Della Pizza 2011-15) 29 1785-1927 - PUBLIC HOUSE (Coach & Horses - rebuilt 1870) 1930-1947 - PHOTOGRAPHER (1930-35 James Stealey; 1936-47 Empire Studios) 1951-1958 - HANDBAG DEALERS (Lobb Ltd)

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