101-103, Western Road, Brighton

Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 25 Mar 2016

Numbers 101 and 102 are single storey units whilst 103 has three floors and is one of six listed buildings on Western Road, Image, Image, Image, Image and Image being the others. Number 101 was registered as a chemist in 1845 and remained in operation until the Second World War. After brief periods as an estate agent and fruiterer the premises has been a restaurant since 1978 offering French and Italian foods and since 2004 Moroccan cuisine. Number 102 began life as a bank in 1852 then became an estate agent before briefly returning as another bank in 1864. For the rest of the 19th century it was a steam dyer, china merchant, butter merchant and for the last decade a brewery office. In 1901 it became a small dairy which it remained until the Second World War. After the conflict it retailed menswear, leather goods, car accessories and for the last quarter shoes. Since 2001 it has been a florist. Number 103 was built as a townhouse in the 1820s and had been converted into a shop by the 1840s. It was a linen draper for 44 years, milliner for 36, furrier for 37 and a ladies hairdresser for 22. After drawing a blank in the 1990s the building has been used as a takeaway and since around 2006 a Lebanese, Middle Eastern and North African restaurant. 101 1845-1940 - CHEMIST (John Colby & Co) 1947 - DENTAL MECHANICS (Super Repairs) 1949-1956 - ESTATE AGENTS (HDS Stiles & Co) 1958-1971 - FRUITERER (T Walton) 1972-2016 - RESTAURANT (La Casa (1972-81, Villablanca 1982-93, La Fourchette 1999-2002, Mascara 2004-16) 102 1852-1854 - BANK (London & County Bank) 1856-1861 - ESTATE AGENT (William Knight) 1864-1865 - BANK (Hampshire Bank) 1869-1877 - STEAM DYER (John Scott) 1879 - PICTURE BOOK & CHINA DEALER (EM Holman) 1880-1889 - BUTTER MERCHANT (Robert Hue 1880-88, WJ Smith 1889) 1890-1900 - BREWERY OFFICE (Crawley & Co, Whitchurch 1890-93, Fuller, Smith & Turner 1894-1900) 1901-1940 - DAIRY (Brook & Sons) 1947-1960 - MENS & BOY’S WEAR (Woodhouse Ltd 1947, The Boys Shop 1949-60) 1964-1971 - LEATHER GOODS (Laville Accessories) 1972-1974 - CAR ACCESSORIES (Spotlight) 1976-1999 - SHOE SHOP (Studio Shoes 1976-83, Valentino 1984-88, Porto Shoes 1989-91, Valentine 1999) 2001-2015 - FLORISTS (Flower City 2001-12, Brighton Flower Co 2012-15) 103 1845-1889 - LINEN DRAPER (john Fairey 1845-52, William Gosling 1854, Percival Mills 1856-89) 1890-1926 - MILLINER (Mrs Hurst 1890-1910, Florence Bishop 1911-26) 1927-1964 - FURRIER (H Lindsey-Lewis 1927-49, Brahams 1951-64) 1966-1988 - LADIES HAIRDRESSERS (Robert 1966-69, Ivan & Noel 1970-77, Club Hair 1978, James Kimber 1981-86, Zig Zag 1985-88) 1991 - SAUNA CENTRE (Electric Beach Suntan Centre) 1999 - TAKE AWAY (Casablanca) 2006-2016 - RESTAURANT (Sahara)

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