Pepper Pot, Brighton
Encyclopedia
The Pepper Pot, also known as the Pepperpot (with no space), the Pepper Box or simply The Tower, is a listed building in the Queen's Park
area of the English
city of Brighton and Hove. Designed and built in 1830 by architect Charles Barry
in the grounds of a villa
built for the owner of Queen's Park, it survived the villa's demolition and is now one of its only surviving remnants. Its original purpose is unknown—several possible explanations have been given for its construction—and it has had a wide variety of uses in the 20th century. It is now owned by Brighton and Hove City Council, and has been given Grade II listed status by English Heritage
in view of its architectural and historical importance.
patronised by the Prince Regent
, other members of the British Royal Family
and high society
in general. In 1825, Thomas Attree—a property owner and developer in this part of Brighton—bought the park (at that stage known as Brighton Park) from its first owner, and employed architect Charles Barry
to design a villa for him on the edge of the park. The Attree Villa, as it became known, stood in substantial grounds north of the park and was one of the earliest Italianate
buildings in England. Barry designed the square building in the Quattrocento
style; it was intended to be one of several around the park, but no more were built. Between 1909 and 1966 it was a Xaverian Roman Catholic
college, but it fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1972 despite being a Grade II* listed building.
Few structural elements of the villa remain, but the Pepper Pot—which originally stood in the western part of the grounds—remains intact. It was built at the same time as the villa, but its original function is uncertain: theories include a water tower
for the villa, a vent for the network of large Victorian
sewer
s beneath Brighton, an observatory
or even a folly
. Its name, which has historically been used locally and has now been adopted more generally, makes reference to its shape.
Since it passed out of Attree's ownership, the structure has had a remarkable variety of uses. George Duddell bought Attree's estate
in 1863, and used the Pepper Pot to print and publish his local newspaper, the Brighton Daily Mail. Three years later, it (along with the park, the villa and all associated buildings) had passed to the Brighton Corporation, the equivalent of the present city council. During World War II
, the military used the 60 feet (18.3 m) structure as an observation post. Later uses included the headquarters of a Scout troop
, an artist's studio and—after an extension was built in the base in the 1960s—a public toilet.
The Pepper Pot was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
on 13 October 1952. This status is given to "nationally important buildings of special interest". It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
and a green metal urn. The main building material is cement
. There are 11 Corinthian columns
around the exterior. The tower rises in four stages. The lowest is the octagonal plinth
which was extended to the north in the 1960s when toilets were installed. The short second stage is circular; its upper boundary is defined by a cornice
. The columns extend all the way up the third stage; at the top of this section, between each column, is a small window. An entablature
and cornice
rest on top of the column and marks the division with the uppermost stage, which has 11 pilaster
s directly above the columns. Another entablature sits between the pilasters and the circular cupola.
, a community centre or a café—and that they were in negotiations with the city council about the possibility of taking over the ownership of the building.
Queen's Park, Brighton
Queen's Park is an administrative ward and a public park in Brighton, England.The area lies to the east of the centre of Brighton, north of Kemptown and south-east of Hanover. It is largely made up of Victorian terraced houses, with a smaller number of detached and semi-detached houses...
area of the English
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...
city of Brighton and Hove. Designed and built in 1830 by architect Charles Barry
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
in the grounds of a villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
built for the owner of Queen's Park, it survived the villa's demolition and is now one of its only surviving remnants. Its original purpose is unknown—several possible explanations have been given for its construction—and it has had a wide variety of uses in the 20th century. It is now owned by Brighton and Hove City Council, and has been given Grade II listed status by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in view of its architectural and historical importance.
History
Queen's Park was designed and laid out in 1824 in the east of Brighton, which had developed as a fashionable resort over the previous century as it developed a reputation as a healthy spa townSpa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
patronised by the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, other members of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and high society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
in general. In 1825, Thomas Attree—a property owner and developer in this part of Brighton—bought the park (at that stage known as Brighton Park) from its first owner, and employed architect Charles Barry
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
to design a villa for him on the edge of the park. The Attree Villa, as it became known, stood in substantial grounds north of the park and was one of the earliest Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
buildings in England. Barry designed the square building in the Quattrocento
Quattrocento
The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento...
style; it was intended to be one of several around the park, but no more were built. Between 1909 and 1966 it was a Xaverian Roman Catholic
Xaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
college, but it fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1972 despite being a Grade II* listed building.
Few structural elements of the villa remain, but the Pepper Pot—which originally stood in the western part of the grounds—remains intact. It was built at the same time as the villa, but its original function is uncertain: theories include a water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
for the villa, a vent for the network of large Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
s beneath Brighton, an observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
or even a folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
. Its name, which has historically been used locally and has now been adopted more generally, makes reference to its shape.
Since it passed out of Attree's ownership, the structure has had a remarkable variety of uses. George Duddell bought Attree's estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
in 1863, and used the Pepper Pot to print and publish his local newspaper, the Brighton Daily Mail. Three years later, it (along with the park, the villa and all associated buildings) had passed to the Brighton Corporation, the equivalent of the present city council. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the military used the 60 feet (18.3 m) structure as an observation post. Later uses included the headquarters of a Scout troop
Scout troop
The Scout troop is a unit of Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts that usually meet weekly. Girl Guides often use Unit or Company instead. The troop is the fundamental unit, which a Scout joins and via which he or she participates in Scouting activities, such as camping, backpacking, and...
, an artist's studio and—after an extension was built in the base in the 1960s—a public toilet.
The Pepper Pot was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 13 October 1952. This status is given to "nationally important buildings of special interest". It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Architecture
The Pepper Pot is a ten-sided, cylindrical structure, 60 feet (18.3 m) tall and standing on an octagonal base. It is topped by a cupolaCupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
and a green metal urn. The main building material is cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
. There are 11 Corinthian columns
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
around the exterior. The tower rises in four stages. The lowest is the octagonal plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
which was extended to the north in the 1960s when toilets were installed. The short second stage is circular; its upper boundary is defined by a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. The columns extend all the way up the third stage; at the top of this section, between each column, is a small window. An entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
rest on top of the column and marks the division with the uppermost stage, which has 11 pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s directly above the columns. Another entablature sits between the pilasters and the circular cupola.
Restoration plans
The Friends of the Pepperpot group was formed in January 2010 to promote the conservation of the Pepperpot and try to get it back into use. In May 2011, Brighton and Hove City Council finished a £50,000 restoration of the exterior. In the same month, the Friends of the Pepperpot announced that three new uses were being considered for the building—conversion into a bed and breakfastBed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
, a community centre or a café—and that they were in negotiations with the city council about the possibility of taking over the ownership of the building.