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 and 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).