The History of Brighton

Brighton started out as a small fishing village called Brighthelmstone. In 1724 there was a massive storm which washed away many of the houses. The townspeople were granted a "Brief", to beg for money across England to build defences against the sea.

Brighton's fishing industry thrived until the mid 17th Century when due to beach erosion, pirate attacks and decreased demand, the industry began to decline. Although there were no harbours, there was plenty of space on the beach for beaching boats to unload the cargo of fish. As soon as the fishing industry was no-more, the whole town suffered. However local demand for fish allowed some fishermen to keep working as usual. By 1750, the town's population had halved. Many people lived in poverty. It was fortunate that Brighton grew as a resort as it provided many jobs for redundant fishermen.

Brighton's first major step on the road from being a fishing village to the town that it is now was in 1750 when Dr. Richard Russell wrote and published his book called "The Use of Sea Water in Diseases of the Glands". He claimed that bathing in and drinking sea water was therapeutic. Although many people came to Brighton to swim in the sea, bathing was seen more as medicine than as pleasurable. Very quickly, Brighton's popularity grew. Brighton became a very fashionable tourist resort for the upper classes almost overnight. Bathing machines were provided for the public's use. These enabled women to change in to "suitable" bathing attire and so that men would not see more than what was 'acceptable'. They were wheeled into the sea before the bather came out. Dippers were also on hand in order to dip, or plunge, reluctant and unsuspecting bathers into the icy waters of the English Channel. Martha Gunn was a famous dipper known to all as "The Queen of the Dippers". Her remains lie in St. Nicholas' Graveyard.

Up until this time, Brighton's main industries were baking and innkeeping. As the town became more and more of a tourist resort, demand for food and lodgings also grew, again, bringing money into the town. By 1780, specialists could be seen around the town including jewellers. By 1790, London businesses set up "branches" in Brighton.

Older people were considered too infirm to be plunged into the sea in such a manner. For them, doctors built hot baths in Brighton. Dr. John Awsiter built the first in 1769.

The next major development in Brighton's history was the arrival of the Prince of Wales. He came to Brighton for the first time in 1783. He liked the town and brought property here. Eventually, he came to like Brighton so much that he moved here. At first, his cook rented a small farmhouse for him to live in which he eventually bought and improved. He employed the architect John Nash and over a period of years it grew into the oriental palace that we see today as the Pavilion. Due to the royal interest, Brighton's popularity soared. Brighton was established as one of the most fashionable places to visit. Between the years of 1800 and 1830, it was mainly an upper-class resort.

All of the development from 1750 until 1830 were certainly geared towards pleasing the upper classes. Assembly rooms were built as a place for rich visitors to meet, dance and eat. Each assembly room had a 'Master of Ceremonies' who would direct the entertainment.

The nine years that Prince George waited to succeed the king were known as the "Regency Period". In this time, many dwelling houses of a moderate size were built. They were at one time some of the most pleasant homes in England. Also in this period, Brighton's first pier, the chain pier, was built and opened to the public. It was initially designed to be a jetty allowing people to get on and off the steamers that went over to France but in actual fact, more money was raised by promenades who could pay 2d to walk along it. As time went by, shops began to appear on the pier.

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