Bed and breakfast availability
Brighton b&b, guest house and hotel accommodation

Visit Brighton and the surrounding villages and stay in bed & breakfast accommodation:

Brighton, Sussex. Although evidence of occupation by Neolithic tribes and later by the Romans has been found here, Brighton today has only a few buildings older than the Regency period. The old name was Brighthelmstone. A fishing village, long ago buried under the sea, preceded modern Brighton. The Tudor town was built behind walls as a defence against French raiders, but this did not save it from being burnt down at least twice in the 16^th century.

In 1754 a Dr Richard Russell arrived at the seaside village from Lewes, and prescribed sea-bathing and the drinking of sea-water as a cure for most ills. So persuasive were his methods that wealthy invalids flocked to the village to take the new cure, soon transforming it virtually into a spa.

In 1783 the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, arrived on a visit. He liked the place and his patronage made the town fashionable. His friends shared his enthusiasm, building the lovely Regency terraces for which Brighton is famed. In 1787 the Prince commissioned Henry Holland to build him a marine residence on the site of a farmhouse he had rented in the Steyne. A large building in Classical style was erected and the interior decorated in the ‘Chinese taste’ popular at that time. Between 1815 and 1822 this Royal Pavilion was rebuilt to the plans of John Nash in its present Indian Moghul style, with onion-shaped domes, spires and minarets, but still generally keeping the Chinese décor inside.

After becoming king he still occupied it regularly until 1827. His brother, William IV, also spent much time there, and later Queen Victoria stayed at the Pavilion, but abandoned it in 1845 for she considered it did not offer enough privacy; with her went most of the furnishings. Later the Brighton authorities bought the Pavilion and in the following years many of the furnishings were returned from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Further items were permanently loaned by Queen Elizabeth II. Other contemporary items have been given or loaned so that the Pavilion appears much as it did when a royal residence.

Across the roadway from the Pavilion stands the Dome, originally the Royal stables, built in 1806. The dome itself is 80 ft high and 65 ft in diameter, and was modelled on the Halle au Blé in Paris.

Brighton beach is mainly shingle. A long promenade follows the whole of the front. It was extended in the l930s by an undercliff walk between Black Rock and Rottingdean (since extended to Salt-dean) which protects the chalk cliffs from erosion. It was largely built by unemployed Welsh miners. The Palace Pier and the West Pier have the customary amusements. The famous Chain Pier was destroyed in a storm in 1896.

Close to the Palace Pier is the Aquarium. It was established more than 100 years ago and has fish from all over the world.

Volk's Electric Railway, runs between the Aquarium and Black Rock. The original was one of the earliest electric railways.

The area known as The Lanes retains aspects of old Brighton. Here small houses, some attractively bow-windowed, which used to be fishermen's homes, have been converted into antique and curio shops.

St Nicholas Church, although rebuilt in 1853, has parts dating from the 14^th century. It has a Norman font and a notable 15^th-century chancel screen. St Peter's Church, which replaced St Nicholas as the parish church of Brighton in 1873, was built in 1825 in Gothic style by Charles Barry. it has a mass of pinnacles and inside there is much late 19^th-century glass.

Districts of Brighton: Bevendean, Coldean, Hanover, Hollingbury, Hollingdean, Kemptown, Moulsecoomb, Ovingdean, Patcham, Preston Park, Rottingdean, Stanmer, Westdenem, Whitehawk, Withdean, Woodingdean

Nearby towns: Burgess Hill, Eastbourne, Hove, Lewes, Worthing

Nearby villages: Saltdean, Woodingdean

Have you decided to visit Brighton or the surrounding villages? Please look above for somewhere to stay in:

• a Brighton bed and breakfast (a Brighton B&B or Brighton b and b)
• a Brighton guest house (also spelt guesthouse)
• a Brighton hotel (or motel)
• a Brighton self-catering establishment, or
• other Brighton accommodation