IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
North Street, BRIGHTON, BN1 1RG

The newest of the buildings on North Street having been erected between 2000-2002. Numbers one hundred and thirty four through to thirty eight are located between Windsor Street and Portland Street and have been rebuilt twice in their entirety since the 1930s. Originally a row of five shops, one hundred and thirty four had been an ironmonger, shoe shop and china warehouse prior to briefly becoming a bank, initially Lewes Old Bank which was absorbed by Barclays in the 1890s. When the latter left it was joined with one hundred thirty five, then Hockley’s the grocer which later became International Tea Stores who would move to a new purpose built store in Mitre House in Western Road in the mid 1930s. Prior to the grocers, the shop had been a china and glass retailer for over forty years. Number one hundred and thirty six was owned by the Attree family, an had been an auctioneers and funeral directory. One of the family had been the solicitor for the Prince Regent whilst the descendants still run the funeral directors today, believed to be the oldest local firm in the city. One hundred and thirty seven were a hatters for thirty years, a bookmakers for over seventy and a tailors for eighteen. The last tenant before the first demolition was the appropriately named John Rain, retailers of waterproofs. The last of the row was one hundred thirty eight which had spent the last one hundred and fifty years as Folkards pawnbroker. The first rebuild was split into three units; one hundred and thirty four to thirty five was the Imperial Theatre, a 1877 seat venue, initially opened as a theatre but also used as a cinema. It was taken over by the Essoldo chain in 1950 who predominantly used it as a cinema until it closed in 1964. The same company converted the interior into a bingo hall which it remained through the ownership of both Ladbrookes and Top Rank. The latter would convert the building again into a large sports bar which failed to take off and closed for good in 1998. A battle then commenced to try and save the building but it was demolished in 2000. Adjacent to the cinema was initially number one hundred and thirty six which was occupied by the Co-Operative Building Society until 1960 when it was expanded into by the occupants on one hundred and thirty seven to thirty eight. This was initially the District Bank which later became part of National Westminster. The branch was moved into the newly rebuilt Churchill Square in 1998 and the building demolished with the cinema in 2000. The second rebuild is numbered one hundred and thirty four to thirty eight and consists of three units. Unit One was a sports shop for eight years and has been a Sainsbury’s Local since 2010. Unit Two has been occupied by Sports Direct since 2002, whilst Unit Three was initially Japanese clothes firm Uniqlo, then discount clothes store Peacocks and since their demise in 2012, Poundland, who had originally occupied Image and also have another store in Western Road. OLD IMAGES Numbers 135-138, 1937 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_063.html Essoldo and District bank, 1962 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_053.html Inside Top Rank Bingo hall, 1988 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/375553297/in/photolist-ccpuhJ-V94DD-56DsmS-56YhSv-dyVsfK-zbNUN-zbNUR-zbMT3-zbNUL-zbMSX-zbNUC-zbNUH-zbMT1 Hot Shots and former Nat West, 2000 - http://www.brightonsarchitecture.com/essoldo/source/image02.html OCCUPANTS 134 1852-1870 - IRONMONGER (Joseph Wood 1852-54, T Wilson 1856, Otho Guildford 1862-70) 1871-1877 - SHOE SHOP (Metropolitan Boot & Shoe Market) 1879-1893 - CHINA & GLASS WARE (D Barnard & Son) 1894-1897 - BANK (Lewes Old Bank, Barclay & Co) 135 1822 - TEA DEALERS John Dumbrall & Son 1833-1875 - CHINA & GLASS WAREHOUSE (John Scarborow) 1883-1895 - SPCK DEPOT 1896-1935 - GROCERS (Hockley’s 1896-1917, International Tea Stores 1918-35) 136 1852-1892 - AUCTIONERS (Attree & Kenyon) 1893-1938 - FUNERAL DIRECTORS (Attree & Kent) 137 1822-1854 - HATTER (Mrs Briggs, John Shelley) 1859-1913 - BOOTMAKERS (T Kilmister 1859-99, West End Boot Co. Ltd 1901-07, Arthur Amry Ltd 1908-13) 1914-1932 - TAILORS (Brandons) 1933-1935 - WATERPROOFERS (John Rain Ltd) 138 1822-1937 - PAWNBROKERS (Folkard & Son) FIRST REBUILD 1930s 134-135 1940-1964 - CINEMA (Imperial 1940-49, Essoldo 1950-64) 1966-1996 - BINGO HALL (Essoldo 1966-75, Ladbrookes 1976-87, Top Rank 1988-96) 1997-1998 - BAR (Hot Shots) 136 1940-1960 - BUILDING SOCIETY (Co-Operative) 137-138 1940-1998 - BANK (District Bank 1947-70, National Westminster 1971-98) SECOND REBUILD 2000-02 UNIT 1 2002-2010 - SPORTS SHOP (Free Spirit) 2011-2015 - CONVENIENCE STORE (Sainsbury’s) UNIT 2 2002-2015 - SPORTS SHOP (Sports Direct) UNIT 3 2002-2012 - CLOTHES SHOP (Uniqlo 2002-03, Peacocks 2003-12) 2012-2015 - DISCOUNT STORE (Poundland)

On the site of the former Essoldo Cinema

At the Western End of the road near the clock tower (in background), among the shops visible are Poundland, Sainsbury's local and Boots

Viewed from the junction with Western Road and looking towards the Clock Tower. See also Image viewed from the eastern end at the junction with East Street. Both that and this image can be used as an index for the individual shops that line the street each with a history of their occupants. SOUTHERN SIDE Here is East Street Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Here is Meeting House Lane Image Image Image Image Image Here is Ship Street Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Here is West Street Image Image Image Image Here is Western Road NORTHERN SIDE Here is Queens road Image Image Here is Windsor Street Image Here is Portland Street Image Here is King Place Image Image Here is Bond Street Image Image Image Here is New Road Image Chapel Royal Here is Princes Place Image Image Image Here is Pavilion Buildings

The public bike hire scheme in Brighton is run by BTN Bikeshare.

Christmas decorations in Duke Street, Brighton

Numbers one hundred and thirty nine to forty two occupy the area between Portland Street and what was King Street until 1977 and King’s Place thereafter. Originally four separate buildings two of which were combined in the 1850s. Number one hundred and thirty nine had been a tailor for at least twenty years whilst one hundred and forty had been a couple of businesses. These premises were merged to become an ironmongers for nearly thirty years and another tailors for just under fifty. One hundred and forty one had been a truss and surgical instrument maker for nearly eighty years then a series of confectioners up to 1930 with an optician being the last occupant prior to demolition. One hundred and forty two was another of the lost pubs having been the Blacksmiths Arms since 1800. The whole block was demolished in 1938 but not developed until the late 1950s when after ten years as a car park the current Barclays Bank was opened moving from their previous branch at Image OLD IMAGES Burghope & Burghope, number 139, 1911 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_069.html Numbers 139-142, 1937 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_071.html Blacksmith Arms, 1937 - http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_066.html OCCUPANTS 139 1833-1852 - TAILOR/DRAPER (Charles Alderton) 140 1845-1846 - DRESSMAKER (Sophia Martin) 1850-1852 - SHEFFIELD WAREHOUSE (George Dearing) 139-140 1854-1883 - IRONMONGERS (Henry Woollett 1854-73, Palmer & Co 1874-83) 1886-1935 - TAILORS (Burghope & Burghope 1886-1930, The Two Guinea Tailors 1933-35) 1937 - HOUSE FURNISHERS (Frederick Wallis Ltd) 141 1845-1913 - TRUSS & SURGICAL INSTRUMENT MAKER (Horace Farmer) 1915-1930 - CONFECTIONER (F Brooks 1915-27, L Frankel 1928-29, Rosina Samuels 1930) 1931-1938 - OPTICIANS (Smarts) 142 1800-1938 - PUBLIC HOUSE (Blacksmith Arms) BLOCK DEMOLISHED 1938 1947-1958 Car Park REBUILD 1958 139-142 1959-2015 - BANK (Barclays)

Every Christmas this seasonal window display causes much interest. The shop is Choccywoccydoodah, in Duke Street, and the display is all made from chocolate.

Currently home to the optician Eyesite who were responsible for combining the units back in the early 1990s. Number forty seven on the left saw a steady flow of traders through the premises the longest residency being the shoe shop chain Freeman Hardy Willis. Number forty eight on the right had a greater flow of businesses through its doors before W Davies added the shop to his others in the street, see Image, Image, Image and Image, with this one concentrating on fancy goods as opposed to antique furniture and jewellery elsewhere. Davies vacated the premises in 1926 after which it spent time as a clothes shop, sports shop then briefly a gift shop and television store. OCCUPANTS 47 1845-1854 - IRONMONGER (Edward Hobbs) 1856-1886 - FRUITERER (Isaac Joel 1856-77; Joseph Szapira 1879-86) 1887-1931 - SHOE SHOP (Freeman Hardy Willis) 1932-1933 - TAILORS (AD Robertson LTD) 1934-1936 - COSTUMIERS (Muriella) 1937-1939 - MILLINERS (Louise) 1947-1954 - AUCTION ROOMS (Griffiths Randall) 1956-1966 - DIY (The Wallpaper Stores Ltd) 1968-1990 - NEWSAGENTS (Garretts) 1991-2015 - EYESITE (Optician) 48 1833 - DRAPERS (FRANCIS & CO) 1845-1850 - UPHOLSTERER (George Hall) 1852-1861 - FRENCH & GERMAN BASKETS (JN Burluraux) 1862 - BEER SHOP (Thomas Young - Depot for Pale Ales) 1864-1876 - WATCHMAKER & JEWELLER (RT Barfoot) 1876-1877 - HOSIER (William Underwood) 1879-1926 - FANCY GOODS (W Davies) 1927-1940 - COSTUMIER (Madame Lenze (1927-30, Muriella 1932-40) 1947-1951 - WARDROBE DEALER (SM Keane) 1954-1978 - SPORTS GOODS (The Universal Shop 1954-60, Sports & Leisure 1962-78) 1980 - HI FI (Lasky’s) 1981-1983 - GIFT SHOP (Sincerely Yours) 1984-1985 - TELEVISIONS (VCS Video Ltd) 1991-2015 - EYESITE (Optician)