Brunswick (Hove)
Encyclopedia
Brunswick Town is an area in Hove
, in the city of Brighton and Hove
, England
. It is best known for the Regency architecture
of the Brunswick estate.
had become very fashionable, especially amongst the top tier of British society. The Kemp Town
estate there had been a success, and so in 1824 architect Charles Busby
entered into an agreement to build houses on land lying at the extreme east of Hove, adjacent to Brighton — land which belonged to Thomas Read Kemp
, creator of Kemp Town. Building of the estate began in 1825. The name "Brunswick" was presumably taken from House of Brunswick, a term sometimes used for the House of Hanover
, the name of the British royal family at the time.
Facilities including a market were provided. The market, opened in 1828, was funded by Busby himself but was not a success and was converted to a riding school in the 1840s. It is now a theatre.
In the late 1990s the top of Brunswick Square, where it meets busy Western Road, was closed to motor vehicles, changing the nature of the square from a through route to a strictly residential area. There is a taxi rank immediately north of this point, on Brunswick Place.
At the extreme eastern edge of Brunswick Terrace, on the border of Hove and Brighton, the bluntly modernist Embassy Court
apartment block was refurbished in the mid-2000s. When originally envisaged in the 1930s, this lone block was imagined as the beginning of a transformation of the entire seafront, which would have entailed the obliteration of Brunswick Terrace.
councillors, Phelim MacCafferty and Ollie Sykes. They were elected to the ward in May 2011, gaining it from the Liberal Democrats.
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, in the city of Brighton and Hove
Brighton & Hove
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority area and city on the south coast of England. It is England's most populous seaside resort.In 1997 Brighton and Hove were joined to form the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove, which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the millennium...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is best known for the Regency architecture
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
of the Brunswick estate.
History
Originally, the area had been part of Wick Farm. Then in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, nearby BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
had become very fashionable, especially amongst the top tier of British society. The Kemp Town
Kemp Town
Kemp Town is a 19th Century residential estate in the east of Brighton in East Sussex, England, UK. Kemp Town was conceived and financed by Thomas Read Kemp. It has given its name to the larger Kemptown region of Brighton....
estate there had been a success, and so in 1824 architect Charles Busby
Charles Busby
Charles Augustin Busby was an English architect.He created many buildings in and around Brighton such as Brunswick Square and St Margarets Church. His style usually included Romanesque style pillars to his buildings....
entered into an agreement to build houses on land lying at the extreme east of Hove, adjacent to Brighton — land which belonged to Thomas Read Kemp
Thomas Read Kemp
Thomas Read Kemp was an English property developer and politician. He was the son of Sussex landowner Thomas Kemp, whose farmhouse in Brighton was rented by the Prince of Wales in 1786.-Biography:...
, creator of Kemp Town. Building of the estate began in 1825. The name "Brunswick" was presumably taken from House of Brunswick, a term sometimes used for the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, the name of the British royal family at the time.
Facilities including a market were provided. The market, opened in 1828, was funded by Busby himself but was not a success and was converted to a riding school in the 1840s. It is now a theatre.
In the late 1990s the top of Brunswick Square, where it meets busy Western Road, was closed to motor vehicles, changing the nature of the square from a through route to a strictly residential area. There is a taxi rank immediately north of this point, on Brunswick Place.
At the extreme eastern edge of Brunswick Terrace, on the border of Hove and Brighton, the bluntly modernist Embassy Court
Embassy Court
Embassy Court is a radical Grade II* listed residential building in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Designed by Wells Coates, it was one of the first modernist buildings to be constructed in Britain and also featured the first penthouse suite anywhere in the country...
apartment block was refurbished in the mid-2000s. When originally envisaged in the 1930s, this lone block was imagined as the beginning of a transformation of the entire seafront, which would have entailed the obliteration of Brunswick Terrace.
Notable residents
Brunswick Square and Brunswick Terrace have had a large number of prominent residents. These include:- Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and VauxHenry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and VauxHenry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux was a British statesman who became Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.As a young lawyer in Scotland Brougham helped to found the Edinburgh Review in 1802 and contributed many articles to it. He went to London, and was called to the English bar in...
- James Brudenell, 7th Earl of CardiganJames Brudenell, 7th Earl of CardiganLieutenant General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, KCB , was an officer in the British Army who commanded the Light Brigade during the Crimean War...
- Roger QuilterRoger QuilterRoger Quilter was an English composer, known particularly for his songs.-Biography:Born in Hove, Sussex, Quilter was a younger son of Sir William Quilter, 1st Baronet, who was a noted art collector...
, composer - John Horace RoundJohn Horace RoundHorace Round was a historian and genealogist of the English medieval period. He translated the Domesday Book for Essex into contemporary English. As an expert in the history of the British peerage he was appointed Honorary Historical Adviser to the Crown.-Family and early life:Round was born on 22...
, historian - Robin MaughamRobin MaughamRobert Cecil Romer Maugham, 2nd Viscount Maugham , known as Robin Maugham, was a British novelist, playwright and travel writer.-Early life:...
, writer - Robert BevanRobert BevanRobert Polhill Bevan was an English painter, draughtsman and lithographer. He was a founding member of the Camden Town Group, the London Group, and the Cumberland Market Group.-Early life:...
, artist - Philip SalomonsPhilip SalomonsPhilip Salomons was born in London and was a City of London financier, as were his father and his brother, Sir David Salomons.Solomons travelled extensively in the United States as a young man, and became a naturalized citizen in 1826...
, financier, who built a Roof-top synagogueRoof-top synagogueThe Roof-top synagogue was a private synagogue built on the roof of the home of Philip Salomons on the Regency-era Brunswick estate in Hove, now a constituent part of the English city of Brighton and Hove...
at 26 Brunswick Terrace - Admiral Sir George Augustus Westphal, served in over 100 actions and wounded at Trafalgar on HMS Victory lived at No 2 Brunswick Square 1836-1875
- Sir Winston Churchill was schooled in Hove in the Brunswick area between 1883 and 1885. Read the article on My Brighton & Hove.
Politics
Brunswick is currently part of the local council's Brunswick & Adelaide ward which is represented by two GreenGreen
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
councillors, Phelim MacCafferty and Ollie Sykes. They were elected to the ward in May 2011, gaining it from the Liberal Democrats.
Culture
- The Brunswick Festival takes place each year, centred on Brunswick Square.
- 13 Brunswick Square, formerly a private house, is used as a museum (the Regency Town House) demonstrating Regency life.
- The Old Market, built in 1828 to serve Brunswick Town, was restored in 1999 and is used as a theatre.
External links
- Brunswick on My Brighton and Hove
- Regency Town House
- The Old Market — a history of the market and its later use as a riding school
- Brunswick Square and Terrace Residents' Association
- East Brunswick Residents' Association