Brighton Things to Do for the Lover of History  

Brighton Things to do for the Lover of History

No history lover can fail to be delighted by a visit to Brighton. Its layer after layer of history and its museums of all descriptions simply call out to be explored, so you don't have to look far for historical Brighton things to do.

A Military Affair
For the lover of things military, a visit to The Lanes Armoury is a must with a difference. It's housed in a three-storey 16th century building and is an absolute treasure trove - it's a museum but not a museum as everything is for sale. It was even nominated and then short-listed for the British Antique and Collectors Awards as the best Antique Shop in Great Britain. The present shop is the latest incarnation of a much older business, one called Hawkins, which was among the earliest and was one of the largest dealers in Antiques and Collectibles within Europe. It is their specialisation in Arms, Armour, Militaria, and Books which marks them out and makes it such a fascinating and fantastic place to visit. You'll see bronze-age swords, suits of armour, guns, revolvers, duelling pistols, American Civil war swords through to medals and even World War II weapons, it's all there to be viewed and drooled over. It's not a museum but when you leave, you've enjoyed the same experience!

Pubs with History
An ancient town such as Brighton simply has to have its historic pubs and the town will not let you down when you set out and find these. The oldest is said to be The Cricketers on Black Lion St. in The Lanes and this occupies a site where there has been a hostelry present since 1547. The pub lists amongst its most-famous residents one Jack the Ripper and the first person to set up as landlord, Derrick Carver was famously burnt at the stake just for holding inappropriate religious beliefs - never a good idea and especially not then! The Cricketer's real claim to fame is its immortalisation in Graham Green's novel 'Brighton Rock'. Another old hostelry, The King and Queen, in Marlborough Place is located on the Old Steine, in a large historic building. Having a more modern look and dating back just to the 1930's is The Ladies Mile in Mackie Avenue (Patcham) and this still retains some of the original features from the thirties.

Be Guided Electronically
History really comes to life when you can get the story from an expert while wandering around the place. You can make it tell you its story now as you wander around either The Royal Pavilion area, Regency Brighton or The Laines when you take an MP3 tour. All you need to do is to rent the technology and then get walking. The guide takes you on an exciting tour, describing the sights as you go.

Brighton's Victorian Tourist Railway
If 'What the Victorians did for us' excites you then you should take a trip on the Volks Electric Railway. This was one of the first electric passenger-carrying railways in the world and the first in Britain. It was created in 1883 by Magnus Volk and is the oldest one still in service. It takes you a mile and a quarter along the seafront from Brighton Pier (The Palace Pier) to Black Rock. The railway operates a fleet of 10 cars (what we non-technical types call 'trains') dating from 1883 to 1930 and carrying some 30-40 people each. Their quaint and antique appearance makes travelling on the Volks a trip back into the past.

Brighton's Fishy Past
Being a seaside town it's no surprise that you find Brighton Fishing Museum which covers all aspects of the history of the trade - including the tasting! Although it's located in the middle of town, it forms a focus for Brighton's fishing quarter. Within the museum is a reflection of sea-based activities from the Regency period right up to the post-war boom in tourism and pleasure boats. The exhibition features a 27-foot beach boat, and contains photographs, prints and memorabilia from Brighton's fishing industry. During the summer months and when the weather allows, the museum operates a twelve-seater passenger boat, aptly named The Skylark, and this provides short trips for visitors.

For more serious study, a computer archive is available and provides a wealth of information about the local industry and the people involved in it. Adjacent to the museum are a couple of shellfish stalls and a smoked fish shop, enabling you to actually taste the end product of this still-alive local industry.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

The museum is open year round but closed on Mondays (except public holidays).

Hove Museum
Hove Museum has also been redeveloped in recent years and new galleries of modern design installed. The main galleries of the museum are the Contemporary Craft Galleries, Toy Gallery, Film Gallery, Local History Gallery and Paintings Gallery. The museum is open all year round but closed on Mondays - including bank holidays.

Upstairs Downstairs at Preston Manor
Preston Manor provides the visitor with a window into the life of an Edwardian house of the gentry with its strict demarcation between upstairs and downstairs. The house was originally built around 1600, rebuilt in 1738 and then extended quite extensively in 1905. The contents of the house, together with the house itself, provide a fascinating, and unfortunately rare, opportunity to look at life during the early part of the 20th century.

More than twenty rooms are open to the visitor, these spanning four floors of the building and including the servants' quarters, butler's pantry and kitchens which are 'downstairs' in the basement, right up to the attic bedrooms and nursery on the top floor. Outside the house is a walled garden and a pets' cemetery. The house is open from April to the end of September but can be visited by special arrangement for groups at any time.

...and when the tourists are gone, Preston Manor keeps its spooky image! In fact, on a recent TV show, it was said to be one of the most-haunted in Britain. The television crew who filmed for the 'Most-haunted' series reported more mysterious goings on than at any other site they'd visited. One of the presenters, Karl, was convinced that he had been visited by the manor's White Lady. There's always been tales of ghostly experiences at Preston Manor, from the mediaeval nun, Sister Agnes, who helped travellers on their way to the White Lady and the Lady in Grey who elegantly glides down the main staircase. In modern times, doors have been known to lock themselves, lights turn off and and on and all manner of bumps and creaks and groans are heard.

Fortunately, you don't just have to believe me - you can experience the spooky supernatural for yourself at one of the many special events held at the manor. On Halloween, for example, you can come dressed for the part and see what the evening turns up. Later on in the year, at the beginning of December, you can try out the Christmas Ghost Tours or, in October and November sign up for one of the family ghost tours. You need to book, whenever you go along for a scare.

Happy Histories

As there's so much history to be seen in the city, and so many historical Brighton things to do, you will really need to plan your trip carefully if you're to make the most of it. If you need any more contact details, there's lots on my site at Brighton Things to do for the History lover. I hope to see you there and then in Brighton.

About the Author

Hi, I'm Alice and I love to travel. One of my favourite spots has to be Brighton. Every time I visit - and that's often - I find something new and much of this has to do with the history of the town and its surrounding area. Much of the running in this field is made by volunteers and I love to meet them and to absorb some of their enthusiasms. Hope you can get along to Brighton and pick up some of the atmosphere,

Hugs,

Alice