162-163, North Street, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 20 Sep 2015

Located on the eastern corner of North Street and New Road the current building dates from 1903 by the Royal Assurance Company. Prior to that one hundred and sixty two had seen a succession of businesses pass through until acquired by Royal Insurance in 1895. One hundred and sixty three also saw a steady stream of traders and remained separate after the rebuild. Parsons & Sons (Later Parsons, Son & Basley) is an old established Brighton estate agent still trading today eight years short of the bicentenary, see also Image Martins Bank opened a branch here in the mid 1930s moving across the road to Image a new purpose built branch in the late 1950s and it was they who introduced the liver bird weather vane on top of the building. When the insurance office closed in 1975 it was acquired by the Leeds Permanent Building Society who would be absorbed by the Halifax in 1995. The latter moved out possibly in the early 21st century and since 2005 at least has been home to a couple of bookmakers. Also included are two properties which originally stood to the south of Chapel Royal and were numbered one hundred and sixty four to sixty five before demolition in the 1880s for road widening purposes. These numbers were later used for other properties in Princes Place, see Image OLD IMAGES Numbers 163-63, 1882-85 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_155.html Martins Bank - http://www.martinsbank.co.uk/11-133%20Brighton.htm Numbers 164-165, 1875 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_147.html OCCUPANTS 162 1845-1856 - FANCY REPOSITORY & TOY DEALER (William Wild) 1859-1879 - WINE MERCHANT (William Stone 1859-70, A Plumer 1871-79) 1879-1885 - AUCTIONEER & ESTATE AGENT (EJ Hamblin) 1886-1894 - INDIAN RUBBER MERCHANT (Thornton & Co) 1895-1975 - INSURANCE (Royal Insurance Co Ltd)-REBUILD 1903 1978-1999 - BUILDING SOCIETY (Leeds Permanent 1978-95, Halifax 1995-99) 2005-2015 - BOOKMAKERS (Metro Bet 2005-15, Paddy Power 2015) 163 1822-1850 - TAILOR & ARMY CLOTHIER (James Legg) 1854 - BRUSH & COCOANUT FIBRE MANUFACTURERS (Metcalfe & Co) 1856-1867 - BOOKSELLERS, STATIONERS & LIBRARIAN (S Style 1856-62, S Aylen 1864-67) 1868-1876 - MILLINERS & DRESSMAKERS (Dagg & Foster) 1877-1879 - WINE MERCHANT (A Plumer) 1883-1885 - SEWING MACHINES (Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Co) 1887-1923 - AUCTIONEERS (JW Stride & Son 1887-1893, Parsons & Son 1894-1923) 1924-1925 - SHIPPING AGENTS (The Channel Fuel Co) 1927-1933 - ESTATE AGENTS (Reason & Tickle) 1936-1958 - BANK (Martins) 164-165 1833-1875 - BOOT & SHOE MAKER (Lulham & co) 1879 - CABINET MAKER (G Duncombe)

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