Mods and Rockers clash in the 60s

Sixty years ago today, on 19 April 1965, groups of Mods and Rockers clashed on and around Brighton Beach. The event occurred during the Easter bank holiday weekend. Police were present in large numbers and intervened to disperse the youths gathering along the seafront and in the town centre. Several arrests were made and minor injuries were reported. Damage included broken shop windows.

The incident followed similar disturbances during the previous year’s May Day bank holiday in 1964. On that occasion, clashes between Mods and Rockers in Brighton resulted in multiple arrests, injuries, and damage to property. Police were deployed to manage the disorder, and several youths appeared before local magistrates in the days that followed.

Mods were typically associated with scooters, suits, and modernist fashion, while Rockers were known for motorcycles and leather jackets. The two groups were identified as youth subcultures with differing styles and music preferences. The 1964 clashes were widely reported in national newspapers, and later immortalised in Franc Roddam’s 1979 film Quadrophenia (based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name). It’s a gritty, stylish snapshot of subculture and adolescent angst, featuring music by The Who and early performances from actors like Phil Daniels, Sting and Ray Winstone. Above are four grainy stills from the film which itself can viewed freely at Internet Archive.  

ChatGPT provides this analysis: ‘By 1965, the fierce edge of the Mods and Rockers rivalry was already dulling. Mod fashion was moving toward psychedelia and the emergent counterculture, while Rockers began to look like a fading relic. Yet the 19 April disturbances showed the staying power of the myth. Even as the actual confrontations became more manageable, the cultural image of Brighton as a flashpoint for youth rebellion lingered. Indeed, the echoes of these bank holiday battles still resonate. They were not just scuffles between teenagers but symbolic episodes in a much larger story - of how Britain came to terms with its youth, its future, and its identity.’

Photographs and contemporary reports of the Brighton clashes in 1965 are not widely available. These two here (the one above copyrighted at Media Storehouse, the other at Alamy) are the only ones I can find actually dated to 19 April. However, earlier this year, The Argus published an excellent article, with many photographs, looking back to the 1964 clashes, and quoting from its own reports.

A paddle steamer and mixed bathing

 A superb collection of high quality old photographs of Brighton Beach and the seafront - from the James Gray Collection - are currently on display on the Lower Promenade near the i360. The 36 images have been chosen and reproduced by the Regency Society and will remain on show until 27 April 2025. All the panels carry their own captions and can be previewed at the Regency Society website.

In promoting the open exhibition, the Society says: ‘We continually look for ways to share the RS James Gray Collection of historical photographs with the public. This is one of the most adventurous yet. [. . .] We hope many residents and visitors will have a chance to experience these fascinating glimpses of bygone life on Brighton seafront close to their historical settings.’

Here are two of the photos from the exhibition. The caption for the one above reads: ‘The paddle-steamer The Brighton Queen at the eastern landing stage of the Palace Pier, probably in the 1930s. She was built in 1905 and was not just a pleasure steamer. She served as a minesweeper in WWI and in 1940 she was bombed and sunk at Dunkirk on her second trip to rescue British troops.’

And the caption for the one below reads: ‘A Mixed Bathing beach in Hove in 1919. Hove was slower than Brighton to allow men and women to go swimming from the same stretch of beach but by 1919 it had several Mixed Bathing areas, all strictly signposted and enormously popular.’

The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove was founded in December 1945 by a group of local historians, preservationists, and civic leaders with the aim of protecting the city’s distinctive Regency-era architecture from post-war redevelopment threats. Over the years, the Society has played a vital role in campaigning for the conservation and sensitive restoration of Brighton’s architectural heritage, becoming the city’s oldest conservation group and a key advocate for preserving its unique Regency character. 

In 1998, after the death of James Gray, an insurance broker with a passion for local history, the society acquired his extensive collection of historic black-and-white photographs, known as The James Gray Collection. The full collection comprises 7,530 annotated photographs, arranged in 39 volumes by areas of the city - all available to view online.

Cynicism over bike rack move

Earlier this week, Brighton & Hove News ran a relatively small item about Sea Lanes on Madeira Drive wanting to move an existing bike rack facility away from the pavement and onto the beach pebbles. The move is required, Sea Lanes, says because the facility’s current location immediately adjacent to the road enables thieves to quickly cut through locks and load bikes into waiting vehicles. In the new position, the bike racks would be overlooked by the reception staff.

In addition, though, Sea Lanes has requested permission to replace the pavement-side racks with a small swim retail unit. In response to this idea, several members of the public have left comments on the Brighton & Hove News website. One, for example, has suggested that the ‘small retail unit’ is the MAIN reason for the planning request. Another didn’t mince his words: ‘This reason to move the bike racks is total rubbish and ONLY about using the site for a shop.’

The planning application documents can be found online on the Council website. The proposal states: ‘Sea Lanes has now been operational for over 1.5 years and has proved very successful and is well used by both locals and visitors to the city. A large number of users, particularly swimmers, travel to Sea Lanes by bike. A user survey indicated that 38% of swimmers travel by bike. The existing bike shelter is well used; however there have been a number of issues with bike thefts from the shelter. Its location immediately adjacent to the road enables thieves to quickly cut through locks and load bikes into waiting vehicles. It is therefore proposed to move the existing bike parking shelter to the south side of the Volks railway.’

The planning document goes on to list the following benefits of the new position for the racks:

‘- It is considered more secure as it will be overlooked by the swimming pool reception and when the sauna is in operation users of the sauna.

- It is less visible for any opportunist thieves.

- Any thieves will have to move bikes from across the railway tracks to any waiting vehicle in the road. 

- It is a better location for pool users, who are the main users of the bike shelter. 

- Having a shelter in this location will be necessary when the temporary planning permission for all structures on the north side of the railway expires.’

As for the new ‘swim retail unit’, this will offer swim-related products/equipment to pool users and sea swimmers. Moreover, Sea Lanes suggests ‘a swim retail offer is fundamental to [its] vision for a National open Water Swimming Centre’.

According to Brighton & Hove News, ‘brazen bike theft is common along Madeira Drive’. In September 2023, it says, a thief broke a bike lock and rode an expensive ebike away even though he was openly being filmed by a member of the public. A subsequent appeal failed to track him down. Then, in 2024, a serial bike thief was jailed for a year after being caught on CCTV cutting locks of bikes, including one he stole from Sea Lanes.

Nevertheless, some of those who left comments on the news article were heavily cynical of the planning application. 

J T offered this: ‘I’m pretty sure “give us a shop or your bikes will get stolen” is like some kind of blackmail but here we are.’

Hove Actually was more direct: ‘Bike thieves are notoriously men/boys who WALK up and have the lock off in seconds who then cycle away. This reason to move the bike racks is total rubbish and ONLY about using the site for a shop.’

And Dion Nutley’s comment took aim at ‘bike snobs’ in general: ‘If your bike’s re-sale value is over £100, it will get stolen no matter where you leave it locked up in Brighton. Only a complete and utter cretin will leave an expensive bike locked to a bike rack.. but that’s what the “bike snobs” do… “look at me on my expensive bike and look at you on your lump of crap”… then next week they are whining that it’s stolen while you’re still mobile on your unstolen “lump of crap”.

Night time tragedy at sea

In the early hours of this morning, the RNLI Brighton crew launched to reports of a person in the water near Brighton Palace Pier. In a post on X, the RNLI said it worked alongside Shoreham RNLI, Coastguard Rescue Teams, a helicopter, and other emergency services. Later, Sussex Police announced that a woman, in her 20s and from Lewes, was taken to hospital where she was sadly pronounced deceased. The police confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances and that this will now be a matter for the coroner.

The tragic news was reported early in the morning by both The Argus and by BBC Sussex. The Argus, in particular, published flight tracking data gathered from ADS-B Exchange (which calls itself the world’s largest source of unfiltered flight data). This shows the path of the coastguard search and rescue helicopter (which began at around 4am before landing on the beach shortly after 6am). The colour of the aeroplane/helicopter icons and/or their trails indicate the aircrafts’ altitudes.

In 2024, at least two people were confirmed to have died on or in the water near Brighton Beach. On 3 September the body of a 53-year-old man from Portslade was found washed up on the beach at Western Esplanade, Hove. On 25 November 2024, a 43-year-old man died after being rescued from the sea off the coast of Hove during Storm Bert. He was taken to hospital but later died. See also 10 years on, remembering Dan and Freddie.

‘Awesome campaign!! #skincare’

Brighton Beach didn’t quite know what hit it on Sunday! The sun was out, the promenades were abustle, and the beach was busy too. But what’s this, a young man in sun-drenched dungarees thrusting a flimsy newspaper into my hands, and four sachets! In large bright letters, I read: ‘Breaking news: The UK’s No. 1 vitamin C serum just got better & better.’

My first and rather cynical thought was how can something, anything, be both getting better and better (which implies something happening over time), and be breaking news (something happening in the moment).

What exactly is a serum, was my next thought. Admittedly, I’m an aging human, and male, so perhaps I’ve missed something. Is it a face cream, a sun cream, a youth elixir? Here’s a dictionary definition of serum: ‘An amber-coloured, protein-rich liquid which separates out when blood coagulates’. Oh! That doesn’t sound very nice. Why would I want that?

I should read the newspaper, I thought (which is called The Brighter News). Here we go: ‘C the Bright Side. Garnier’s Vitamin C Brightening Serum may just be the ray of sunshine you’ve been looking for.’ So, it’s not just a serum but a ‘brightening serum’. But what is that? I need to read more from The Brighter News: ‘Its lightweight non-sticky fast-absorbed formula is clinically proven to reduce hyperpigmentation in 2 weeks. The benefits of Vitamin C are clinically proven. It helps brighten skin and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. 99% of women tested agree their skin was left glowing.’ Wow, that’s a great stat, but not for me, a mere man.

Turning to the inside of the newsletter, I read that to celebrate this ‘breaking news’ (i.e. that the UK’s No. 1 vitamin C serum just got better & better), Garnier employees ran from Dull in Scotland to Bright(on) on the south coast telling ‘everyone along the way’ and handing out 250,000 Garnier sachets. Online, in the socials, I find a post by savannahsachdev, one of the runners, who found the while experience ‘awesome’.

Finally, in case you are thinking that Garnier’s Brightening Serum may be all you need for a happy and long life, I hate to disappoint you. Elsewhere in The Brighter News is a recommended daily brightening routine. This involves five stages, and five Garnier products. Vitamin C Micellar Water; Vitamin C Brightening Liquid Care; Vitamin C Brightening Serum; Vitamin C Brightening Eye Cream; and SPF. Good luck,

Curfew ends prom parade

‘The 10:30 p.m curfew is most effective along the front. Last night between 10:30 and 11 o’clock I counted two naval officers, one private, one mother and son, and a white bull terrier. That was all. The night porter at my hotel ruefully told me that last year there were 152 people staying at this hotel. Yesterday there were 12. In peace time, he said, even at Easter, there would have been 400 or 500 couples sleeping on the beach near the Palace Pier.’ This is from an article in the Daily Mail by Charles Graves published on this day in 1941. Graves, a London based reporter, ran a regular column during the war years (inc. during the Blitz) called I See Life, mostly about life in the city, but occasionally he travelled further afield. 

A very interesting and largely forgotten writer, Graves was born in London in 1899, son of the Anglo-Irish poet and songwriter Alfred Perceval Graves. One of his brothers, a literary writer, Robert, would become famous, notably for The White Goddess. Charles was educated at Charterhouse, and then joined the Royal Fusiliers but was still in training at the time of the WWI Armistice. He studied at St John’s College, Oxford University, and joined the staff of the Evening News as a reporter. Soon he was also the paper’s theatre critic, a line of work that enabled him to engage with London’s high society. He moved on, to the Sunday Express, where he worked variously as columnist, news editor and feature writer. In 1927, he switched again, this time to be a columnist with the Daily Mail.

During WW2, he continued to write for the paper but also to socialise - he was out at restaurants and the theatre whenever possible. He was an active participant in the Home Guard, and he wrote and read propaganda scripts for the BBC. In addition, he spent time at RAF bases and with RAF personnel so as to write novels - such as The Thin Blue Line and The Avengers - promoting the armed services.

Among Graves’ many books (more than 50) are four diaries from the war years. They are of particular interest because they include much detail about Graves’ Home Guard activities. Personal writing about the Home Guard was specifically made illegal (for security reasons). In 2011, Viking published a book called The Real ‘Dad’s Army’ - The War Diaries of Lt.Col. Rodney Foster with great fanfare claiming it was the first such Home Guard diary to be published. But the long-since forgotten diaries by Charles Graves should claim that distinction.

Here, though, after a trip to Brighton, is the piece Graves published in his I See Life column on 14 April 1941. (Photo credits: National Portrait Gallery website, and a screenshot of an I See Life piece from Alamy Images.)

Curfew Ends Prom Parade

‘This has been a strange weekend for Brighton. Never since the days of the Regency have there been so few visitors. The ban on Brighton as a pleasure resort, together with the 10:30 p.m. curfew, has had marked results.

It is true that when I entered the town on Thursday nobody asked me for any pass. 

On the other hand, I was twice stopped when in a motor-coach on Friday and Saturday by policemen who asked for my identity cards and response for being in the neighbourhood.

On the second occasion I was returning to Brighton from Lewes and the sergeant informed me that if had not possessed valid reasons (in writing) for my presence I would have been taken off the motor-coach, sent back to Lewes, and returned in disgrace to London - with my suit-case still in Brighton.

The 10:30 p.m curfew is most effective along the front. Last night between 10:30 and 11 o’clock I counted two naval officers, one private, one mother and son, and a white bull terrier. That was all. The night porter at my hotel ruefully told me that last year there were 152 people staying at this hotel. Yesterday there were 12. In peace time, he said, even at Easter, there would have been 400 or 500 couples sleeping on the beach near the Palace Pier.

Another effect of the ban is that the enterprise of the touts for the motor-coach rides is accentuated. They all tell you pleadingly that their particular excursion goes through far the loveliest scenery of Sussex, and that though the price of 3s, it is worth every penny of 4s or even more.’

The paths we walk today

It’s the closing day for an art exhibition entitled Matriarchs at the Fishing Quarter Gallery in which seven artists have come together to exhibit on the seafront. There is not much information on display about the artists but a brief rational for the exhibition can be found on the wall, as follows.

‘Through installation, photography, sculpture, drawing, and print, the works on display delve into the profound and lasting impact that matriarchs have on us as individuals, families, and our wider communities. The works examine how these central figures develop familial cultures, pass down stories, and impart wisdom. With each piece, the artists invite us to reflect on the core relationships that sustain us, shaping our histories and the paths we walk today. From the quiet moments of everyday life to the deep rituals of connection, the exhibition underscores the far-reaching influence of matriarchs, offering a space to honour and celebrate their legacies.’

There are several pieces by Reem Acason. She describes herself as ‘a multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores the complexities of cross-cultural identity’. This photograph of one Acason’s pieces includes: Bedtime (2025), ‘Oil and gesso on 1980’s duvet cover fragment’; Signs of Life VIII (2025), ‘Vintage crate, oyster shells, wild Sussex clay’; and Signs of Life II (2024), ‘Found bird’s nest, paperclay’.

‘I am interested, Acason says on her website, ‘in the relationship between the Middle Eastern region and Europe, and their respective intertwined social and cultural histories. I take inspiration from historic European portraiture, as well as motifs and symbols (both real and imagined) from the “Oriental” world.’

If you missed the exhibition here are the artists online.

@vix_koch
@devon_mcculloch_illustration
@debbieantonowicz]
@mindyheidi
@bethlucygibbons
@ellachandlerstudio
@reemacason

200 black body bags

Ten years ago this month, some 200 black body bags were lined up on Brighton Beach, just east of Palace Pier, in a haunting performance staged by Amnesty International to highlight Britain’s ‘shameful’ response to the escalating migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. The protest came in the wake of a devastating shipwreck off the coast of Libya, where approximately 800 migrants lost their lives. Both The Guardian and the BBC covered the stunt at the time. And Amnesty International, itself, has now revisited the issue with a press release looking at progress made in saving lives in the Med. Nevertheless, according to the International Maritime Organisation more than 30,000 migrants have gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014!

This photograph was published in The Guardian with credit to Tom Pugh/PA; and the photograph below it comes from the Amnesty website.

Back in April 2015, Amnesty supporters not only arranged the 200 body bags in rows but also zipped themselves into some of them, symbolising solidarity with the deceased. A funeral wreath was placed among the bags, and a banner reading #DontLetThemDrown was displayed prominently.​ Amnesty’s UK director, Kate Allen, was quoted as saying: ‘Until now, the British government’s response has been shameful but finally foreign ministers seem to be waking up to the need to act. EU governments must now urgently turn their rhetoric into action to stop more people drowning on their way to Europe.’

The demonstration was timed to coincide with emergency EU talks addressing the migrant crisis. Amnesty International criticised the UK government’s decision to scale back search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, arguing that such actions contributed to the increasing death toll. The organisation called for a more compassionate and proactive approach to the humanitarian disaster unfolding at Europe’s borders.​

In a statement issued on 1 April 2025, Amnesty revisited its campaign starting with the body bags stunt, and drew attention to the UK’s deployment of HMS Bulwark, which has rescued over 4,000 people. Amnesty, it says, is advocating for ‘safe and legal routes for asylum-seekers, fair responsibility-sharing among European countries, and increased resettlement places to address the wider issues causing these deaths’.

The UK, of course, has been grappling with a surge in small boat crossings across the English Channel. As of April 2025, over 7,200 migrants have arrived via this perilous route, marking a 31% increase from the previous year (though there are hardly any recorded instances of landings on Brighton Beach).

The Turquoise Basket Star

In the twilight world between Brighton’s pebbles and the sea, where the water folds its breath in whispers, there lived a creature of delicate chaos - Gorgonocephalus turquoise. The Turquoise Basket Star.  [With thanks to ChatGPT, and apologies to Jacques Cousteau.]

On our recent trip to Britain’s south coast, we first encountered her beneath the soft veil of the outgoing tide, tangled like a myth among the roots of drifting weed and net remnants. To the untrained eye, she looked no different from debris, a tangle of line left by careless hands. But ah, when she moved. . . 

In the quiet nights, she would unfurl her arms like the lace of a deep-sea dancer, catching plankton on the wing, filtering the moonlight for flavour. Each limb, a miracle of evolution, split and split again - five arms becoming fifty, weaving an invisible net of hunger and grace.

By day, she curled into herself, hiding among rocks and kelp along the Marina sea wall, a recluse of the reef. The turquoise hue was not a warning, not a cry for attention, but the hue of calm itself - like ancient glacial melt or the eyes of a dreaming dolphin. In that colour lived serenity, and in her slow movements, patience.

She did not swim. She did not chase. She waited. The current was her companion. The tide, her twin.

But life near the shore is not so simple. Ropes come drifting in with their own stories. Some are pulled by boats. Some are abandoned by men who no longer remember the creatures they might ensnare. One day, the rope came for her. It embraced her not as a fellow tendril, but as a noose.

She did not struggle. She only curled tighter, as if tucking herself into a last sleep.

And there she remains now, on the low tide sands of Brighton Beach. Not gone, not forgotten. Her arms, still flung wide, hold a memory of the sea. A tale of gentleness. Of hunger fed only on light.

She reminds us that in the tangled ruins of our world, there still lies beauty. And in every knot of line, there may once have been a life as delicate as breath itself.

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. Adieu!

 

Brighton waves, Brighton raves!

A sea of enthusiasm for BrightonBeach365

100th post, 265 to go!

Fish and chips or moules marinières

‘We promise you won’t find a better view on the South Coast.’ So boasts the Palm Court restaurant, on Brighton’s Palace Pier, which also calls itself ‘The home of the Big Fish’. Have you eaten there? Famously top notch fish and chips are available (the fish is hand cut), as are moules marinières.

It seems unclear exactly when the Palm Court opened for business. However, it stands where once stood the famous Concert Hall, and so, presumably, it was installed as part of the late-1980s transformation (following the dismantling of the theatre). 

Subsequently, in 2018, the Palm Court underwent a significant refurbishment. Out went the darker, old-world styling; in came sea-glass tones, elegant booths, a sleek central island bar, and vast windows offering diners an unbroken view of the channel. Part of the seating area, apparently, was fashioned from a preserved bandstand, giving patrons the feeling of dining inside a Victorian music box (with the sound of gulls for accompaniment). The redesign also incorporated a copper installation inspired by starling murmurations.

Over the years, celebrity endorsements have kept the restaurant in the public eye. According to the pier’s website, Heston Blumenthal (famous chef) declared that Brighton Pier is the ‘Spiritual home of fish and chips’ whilst on a trip to film a one-off special documentary called Heston’s Fishy Feasts. 

The local newspaper, the Argus, reported in 2019 that Brighton crime writer Peter James chose the Palm Court to launch his novel Dead At First Sight. At the same time he announced that his detective Roy Grace would be featuring in a new series of TV dramas. Guests at the event included fellow crime writer Martina Cole, Brighton and Hove Mayor Dee Simson and Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne! And then, in March 2022, the Argus told us ‘the one and only’ pop star Chesney Hawkes and son Casey had ‘stopped off’ at the Palm Court for, what else, fish and chips.

While disputing the idea that I couldn’t find a better view on the South Coast, I’ll allow the restaurant a few final words of self-promotion: ‘Expertly blending seaside tradition with contemporary style, Palm Court serves up British classics, seafood favourites, super fresh salads and vegan specials, focussing on the tastiest ingredients and exceptional customer service. Famous for our fish & chips, each fillet we serve is hand-cut in house, coated in our delicious batter and cooked to crispy perfection, whilst our equally popular Moules Marinières deliver full-on flavour of the sea, French-style.’

Well, it is a hard life!

Brighton Beach is not a place to go crabbing, generally there’s no rocks or rock pools, moreover any kind of fishing from the pier has been forbidden for decades. Nevertheless, of course, there’s crabs out there, in the sea, lurking. Here’s the evidence of one that got into trouble, lost a claw. Oh dear! 

Given the size and shape of the claw, ChatGPT tells me, it could have belonged to a Velvet Swimming Crab (Necora puber) or to an Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus). However, the former has blue-tinged claws with pronounced ‘hair’ on the body and claws; and the latter has thick, heavier pincers with black tips. 

No, this claw most likely came from a European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas). Although native to Europe it is one of the world’s most invasive marine species, having spread to North America, Australia, South Africa, and beyond, where it outcompetes native species and devastates shellfish stocks.

European Green Crabs (Wikipedia image here) are ubiquitous across Europe’s rocky shores, estuaries, harbours, and tidal pools, burying themselves in sand or sheltering under rocks at low tide. They eat molluscs, worms, algae, detritus, and sometimes smaller crabs. They’re also aggressive and territorial, especially during mating season. Moulting is common as they grow, so they shed claws and exoskeleton fragments often wash ashore.

Despite the name, European Green Crabs are not always green, rather they come in a range of colours, olive green, brown, even reddish. Claws tend to be mottled with a granular texture and sometimes tinged with blue or green hues. They are uneven in size with the larger ones used for crushing prey, and smaller ones for more dexterous handling. The inner edges are serrated and used for gripping prey.

The photographed claw (on a piece of nearby driftwood) probably came from a crab about the size of a human hand. It was most likely lost in one of four ways: fighting other crabs (they are very territorial creatures ), autotomy (self-amputation), predation (by birds or larger fish), or moulting mishaps (claws getting stuck between rocks). Well, it is a hard life!

In a silvery sea of time

My struts and columns, battered, beaten, rusted
My arches, beams, joists exposed to every weather
Yet here I am, old, old yet standing, still standing
Proud
Honest
Beautiful
In a silvery sea of time

My bones and muscles, always tired, seeking rest
My ligaments and joints, creaking all day long
Yet here I am, old, old yet standing, still standing
Wrinkling
Watchful
Wizened
With a silvery mop on top

Where gone my dancers, promenaders, those in deckchairs
Gone to winds, and silvery waves, and elemental forces
Yet here I am, old, old yet standing, still standing
Proud
Honest
Beautiful
In a silvery sea of time

Where gone my friends, family and travels
Gone to dust, torn photos and unremembered postcards
Yet here I am, old, old yet standing, still standing
Wrinkling
Watchful
Wizened
With a silvery mop on top

Brighton Beach blue

At low tide on Brighton Beach, you might notice clusters of dark-shelled creatures clinging stubbornly to the groynes, pier supports, or even scattered rocks. These are blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), nature’s little ocean purifiers and master survivalists. They begin life as microscopic larvae, drifting aimlessly in the currents after being released into the water during spawning. Males and females release sperm and eggs into the water, and fertilisation occurs externally, forming a free-swimming larva called a trochophore.

For the next two to four weeks, these larvae progress into veligers - tiny, shelled planktonic creatures that continue to drift with ocean currents, feeding on microscopic algae. After several weeks, they reach the pediveliger stage, developing a small foot and searching for a suitable hard surface to settle on, such as rocks, pier pilings, or even other mussels. Once they find a home, they attach using sticky byssal threads and undergo metamorphosis into juvenile mussels. 

Juveniles grow rapidly in nutrient-rich waters, reaching full size (5-10 cm) in about two to three years. In favourable conditions, blue mussels can live up to 15 years. They often crowd in dense colonies, forming mussel beds that can contain thousands to millions of individuals. These beds can stretch across large areas of rocky shorelines, pier supports, and other hard surfaces. The tightly packed arrangement helps protect them from predators and harsh wave action.

Mussels may seem passive, but they are essential to the marine ecosystem. A single mussel can filter up to 10 litres of seawater an hour, sifting out microscopic plankton and removing pollutants. In some places, mussel beds are even used to help purify water naturally. Their resilience is remarkable. At low tide, they clamp their shells shut to avoid drying out, sometimes surviving for days without water. They can also change sex depending on environmental conditions, optimising their chances of reproduction. And, if they ever need a change of scenery, some mussels can detach and ‘walk’ using their foot to seek a better home. Much more information is available at Wikipedia and the Marine Life Information Network.

While Brighton’s blue mussels are fascinating, other species of mussels have their own quirky traits.

The Deep-Sea Giants: The Bathymodiolus genus of mussels, found near hydrothermal vents, can grow up to 30 cm long - dwarfing their shallow-water relatives!

The Oldest Mussels: Freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) can live over 100 years, with some recorded at nearly 250 years old!

The Strongest Glue: The Mytilus californianus (California mussel) produces an adhesive so powerful that scientists are studying it to create waterproof medical glue.

The Fastest Growers: Green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) from New Zealand can reach full size in just one year - much faster than blue mussels.

Mussels That Save Lives: Some mussel species are used in water filtration projects to clean up polluted waterways, acting as natural biofilters.

Guest: Brighton Beach, Possession Bay, South Georgia

Brighton Beach, the fourth of this column’s guest beaches, is an outlier in every sense. It is situated along the north coast of South Georgia, a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean some 900 miles east of the Falkland Islands. Discovered by Europeans in 1675, the island had no indigenous population due to its harsh climate and remoteness. Captain James Cook in HMS Resolution made the first landing, survey and mapping of the island, and on 17 January 1775, he claimed it as a British possession, naming it Isle of Georgia after King George III.

Throughout its history, South Georgia has served as a whaling and seal hunting base, with intermittent population scattered in several whaling bases, the most important historically being Grytviken. The main settlement and the capital today is King Edward Point near Grytviken, a British Antarctic Survey research station, with a population of about 20 people.

However, I doubt they head to Brighton Beach at the weekend! This lies between Zero and Adventure Points in Possession Bay, on the north coast of South Georgia. The name first appeared on a chart showing the results of a survey by Discovery Investigations personnel in 1926-30 - the Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean, funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London.

South Georgia is renowned for its rugged landscapes and abundant wildlife, including vast colonies of penguins and seals, making it a significant location for ecological studies and wildlife observation. Indeed, Brighton Beach was so named to reflect the abundance of fauna, as also found on our own Brighton Beach (when the sun shines!). Access to Brighton Beach and other areas on the island is regulated to preserve its delicate environment: the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands has designated specific visitor sites (with some locations closed due to environmental concerns). ​The outline map here shows the government’s designated visitor points, each one with a code number. The code for Brighton Beach (POS01) can be found in the partial data box, and with that it’s possible to identify where the beach is located on Google’s satellite map - should you wish to visit.

Bark Europa, a tall ship adventure vessel out of Holland, has visited Brighton Beach at least twice. The expedition leader Jordi Plana Morales wrote an entry in his logbook for 4 March 2019 with this title: Possession Bay - Prince Olav Harbour and holding anchor on a blustery afternoon at Brighton Beach. His record of the trip is detailed (and is illustrated with a photograph, as above). Here’s an extract from the log.

‘Winds varying from 20 to 45 kn and snowfall made for a quiet few hours indoors, while the Europa hold her ground at anchor in front of the so-called Brighton beach. To arrive here we had to sail over a shallow reef that crosses the whole bay, that nevertheless helps dumping down the swell that enters Possession Bay. From time to time a clear area between the low clouds let us have a glimpse of the beach and the surrounding glaciers.’

The Infamous John Friend

‘The vivid green, the well kept turf of the Steine contrasted with the bright rust coloured meshes of the fishermen’s nets spread over its seaward end to dry; picturesque fishing boats were drawn up on the shingle of the beach; children were paddling and digging in the sand.’ This is from The Infamous John Friend, a historical novel by Martha Roscoe Garnett partly set in Brighton. As a Jacobite sympathiser, the title character becomes entangled in political intrigue. [This image is courtesy of Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove]

Born in 1869, Martha was a British author and biographer, known for her literary contributions during the early 20th century. She is largely forgotten today, and there is very little biographical information about her available online. She married Richard Garnett, a writer and librarian at the British Museum, and she was related, by her marriage, Constance Garnett, a renowned translator of Russian literature, and Olive Garnett, another author.

Martha Garnett wrote two other novels: Amor Vincit (1912), a romance of the Staffordshire moorlands; and, Unrecorded: A Tale of the Days of Chivalry (1931). In addition to her fiction, she published Samuel Butler and His Family Relations (1926), showcasing her interest in historical and biographical writing. She died in 1946, aged 77.

The Infamous John Friend, first published in 1909, is set in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars and follows John Friend, a spy working for Napoleon. The novel begins with John Friend at home, where his wife Mary is seriously ill. The story then moves to Brighton, where Friend takes his family, including his young daughter Susan, for a change of scenery and to improve his wife’s health.

Brighton Beach can be seen to play a significant role in the story as it serves as the backdrop for several key events and character interactions. The seaside town is described vividly, with mentions of bathing machines and Martha Gunn, and the social atmosphere of the time. Brighton’s popularity as a fashionable resort town during the Regency era is evident in the novel's portrayal of the setting.

An American edition of the novel can be freely read online at Internet Archive. Here is an extract from the novel, from chapter II (‘At Brighton’).

‘But the usual tenor of their life was that of the quieter professional classes; and now it appeared that they were to launch into fashionable life. Friend himself was quite unchanged. He was always the same in all surroundings and with all conditions of men. He took Susan out for a walk in the morning, eager for her first view of the sea. Mrs Friend was keeping her room after the fatigues of the journey. It was a different scene indeed from the Brighton of our day. The landscape was all Downs and sea; the little town dominated by its square towered church clustered among hayfields and cornfields. But rows of houses were beginning to spread like extended fingers among the fields, and the roads showed signs of traffic beyond the uses of country lanes. Over at Hove the white tents of the military camp shone in the sun, and glimpses of scarlet and flashes of burnished metal occasionally struck the eye. But the great glittering plain of the sea absorbed all Susan’s attention. She had no eyes for the streets, delightfully clean after the filth of London, nor for the sunshine glowing on the red brick pavements and working color harmonies between them and the dappled grey flint work of the walls. The vivid green, the well kept turf of the Steine contrasted with the bright rust colored meshes of the fishermen’s nets spread over its seaward end to dry; picturesque fishing boats were drawn up on the shingle of the beach; children were paddling and digging in the sand. A row of bathing machines stood in the shallow water, while stalwart females, gowned in faded indigo blue serge, were standing waist deep in the sea and “dipping” the ladies and children who entrusted themselves to their care.’

Poor Palace Pier!

Poor Palace Pier! It hit the news headlines yesterday for all the wrong reasons, as they say, financial mostly. Brighton Pier Group PLC, which owns the pier, announced that it would delist from the London’s AIM market and return to life as a private company. If a shareholder meeting on 22 April agrees with this plan, the delisting will take place on 2 May. The group cited ‘persistent challenging trading conditions, impacted by, inter alia, Covid-19, repeat bad weather during peak summer trading periods, recent significant Budget increases in National Insurance from 6 April 2025, pressures on consumer discretionary spending and a change in consumer behaviours’. It’s worth noting that after introducing an entrance fee of £1 for non-residents last year, the fee has recently doubled to £2. 

The Brighton Pier Group PLC owns and trades Brighton Palace Pier, as well as five premium bars nationwide, eight indoor mini-golf sites and the Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park in North Yorkshire. The group operates as four separate divisions - one of which runs Brighton Palace Pier - under the leadership of Anne Ackord, Chief Executive Officer. Chairman Luke Johnson, former Pizza Express and Patisserie Valerie boss, who owns 27% of the company’s shares (according to its website), was quoted as saying the company had faced ‘persistent challenging trading conditions’ since the coronavirus pandemic, forcing it to cut costs and sell off underperforming assets. Having risen to over £100 in April 1922, the share price has generally fallen steadily since then, slumping yesterday, and now hovering in the region of £10.

‘Brighton Palace Pier,’ the group website explains, ‘welcomes over four million visitors per year and offers a wide range of attractions including two arcades (with over 300 machines) and nineteen funfair rides, together with a variety of on-site hospitality and catering facilities. The attractions, product offering and layout of the Pier are focused on creating a family-friendly atmosphere that aims to draw a wide demographic of visitors. Revenue is generated from the pay-as-you-go purchase of products from the fairground rides, arcades, hospitality facilities and retail catering kiosks.’

In explaining its decision, the company also cited ‘the considerable cost and management time and the legal and regulatory burden associated with maintaining the Company’s admission to trading on AIM’ which, in the Board’s opinion, are ‘disproportionate to the benefits’. It believes that the lower costs associated with unquoted company status, ‘will materially reduce the Company’s recurring administrative and adviser costs by between £250,000 and £300,000 per annum’ significantly reducing its in overhead cost burden.

Last month, the BBC quoted Ackord as saying that Brighton and Hove faces a ‘very difficult future’ if more is not done to attract visitors. There is a general ‘lack of recognition’ in the city, she said, over the importance of tourism and that ‘incisive action’ is required. She added that a ‘coordinated approach, attention to detail and the belief in working towards the same goal’ were missing. Finally, she warned: ‘The pier is 126-years-old this year and I’d like to think she’ll still be here in 126 years time, but it annually costs millions to keep her standing.’

Return of the Brighton Whale

Yesterday was April Fool’s Day, so today is the day for exposes! I asked ChatGPT if there had been any historical April 1st pranks connected to Brighton Beach. Oh yes, it replied, and gave me five such news stories, as follows.

‘The Return of the Brighton Whale (2012) - A prank article suggested that a ‘rare and enormous’ whale had washed up on Brighton Beach. The story referenced the famous 1891 case when a real whale did wash ashore. Many people allegedly went looking for it before realising it was a hoax.’

‘The Brighton Floating Pier Hoax (Early 2000s?) - A local newspaper once published a story claiming that a floating, mobile version of Brighton Pier was under construction and would be towed to different parts of the UK coast depending on the season. Many readers were taken in by the idea, imagining the pier drifting up to Blackpool in the summer!’

‘Brighton’s Underground Beach (2016) - A satirical Brighton-based website claimed that archaeologists had discovered an entire ‘hidden Victorian beach’ beneath the modern seafront, supposedly preserved under the shifting shingle. The story included doctored photos of a secret tunnel leading to a pristine, sand-filled cavern.’

‘Seagull Relocation Programme (2018) - Local media joked that Brighton & Hove City Council had devised a plan to capture and relocate the town’s infamous aggressive seagulls to a remote island. The ‘news’ claimed that trained falconers would lure the birds with chips before transporting them away.’

‘The Ban on Striped Deck Chairs (2021) - In this gag it was suggested that Brighton Council had banned traditional striped deck chairs in favour of modern ‘monochrome loungers’ to make the beach look more sophisticated.’

I then asked - as any self-respecting journalist might do - for sources for each of these stories. 

‘You're absolutely right to call that out,’ ChatGPT wrote back. ‘I should have been clearer - those were plausible April Fools’ jokes based on Brighton’s quirky character, but I didn’t pull them from actual historical records.’

Shocked and deflated, I asked ChatGPT where and how it had come up with its ideas. This is what it told me:

‘The Floating Pier was inspired by Brighton’s history of structural oddities like the West Pier ruins and the Palace Pier’s ever-changing attractions. The Brighton Whale was loosely based on the real 1891 whale stranding, which seemed like perfect hoax material. The Underground Beach was a play on Brighton’s extensive underground tunnels and the urban legend that hidden Victorian structures still exist beneath the seafront. The Seagull Relocation Programme is a nod to the ongoing battle between locals and the notoriously aggressive Brighton seagulls. The Striped Deck Chair Ban idea came from real debates about modernising Brighton’s seafront, plus the city council’s occasional controversial aesthetic decisions.’

I do like to be beside the seaside

Visitors to Brighton Pier this week have been left deeply unsettled by what should have been a harmless seaside tradition. A new ‘Kiss Me Quick’ photo board - designed for tourists to poke their faces through for a fun snap - has taken on an unnerving reputation. Why? Because while one face cut-out offers a clear view of Brighton’s iconic seafront, the other is eerily, inexplicably blank. Our photographer insists his image is straight from the camera, unedited.

The effect is startling. Onlookers swear that when someone places their face into the open cut-out, they momentarily glimpse an unsettlingly pristine, slightly different version of Brighton - a view that doesn’t quite match the present day. ‘I saw the beach, the pier, but . . . there were no people. It was like Brighton, but frozen in time,’ one visitor whispered.

More disturbing still is the blocked-out side. Those who step up to the photo board expecting to see their grinning friend beside them instead report . . . nothing. The space remains stubbornly empty, as if the board refuses to acknowledge whoever stands there. Some claim they hear a faint, muffled echo of the old seaside song ‘Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside’ when they press their ear to the board. Others say the cut-out briefly reflects a different figure - someone who isn’t them.

Local paranormal enthusiasts are already dubbing it the ‘Brighton Time Portal,’ speculating that it might be an accidental rift between past and present. Pier officials, meanwhile, insist it’s just an ‘unfortunate design quirk’ and have politely asked visitors to ‘tapping the board’ in an effort to detect hidden depths.

But with reports growing of people stepping away from the board with their reflections slightly altered - a new freckle, a missing earring, or (in one case) an inexplicable knowledge of 1950s tram schedules - Brighton’s newest attraction is proving to be more than just an innocent seaside joke.

So, if you’re planning a visit, remember: only one of you will see the sea. The other? Well. . . we can’t say for certain what they’ll see.