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first known drawing of Brighthelmstone was
made in 1545 and depicts what is believed to be the raid
of 1514.
Brighton was a sleepy little fishing town up until the late
1700s when its status was propelled into being one of the
most fashionable cities in the South of England.
During the 1740s and 1750s, Dr Richard Russell of Lewes
began prescribing the medicinal use of the seawater at Brighton
to his patients. By 1780, development of the Regency terraces
had started and the fishing village quickly became the fashionable
resort of Brighton.
It’s thought that the arrival of the Prince Regent
(who later became George IV) was the birth of Brighton as
one of the more fashionable cities. Shortly after the Prince
Regent’s arrival, the Theatre Royal opened in 1807
shortly followed by the Brighton Dome and St Annes Well Spa
(originally a pump room).
 The
Royal Pavilion (pictured right) is a former Royal palace
built as the home for the Prince Regent during the early
1800s and is notable for its Indian architecture and Oriental
interior design. The building and surrounding grounds were
purchased by the town in 1849 for £53,000.
In the 1800’s the town strengthened further, with
the opening of the London to Brighton railway line and the
building of the Palace Pier.
 The
Victorian era saw the building of many of the famous landmarks
in Brighton including the Grand Hotel (1864 - pictured on
the left), the West Pier (1866) and the Palace Pier, known
as "Brighton Pier" today (1899).
During more recent times, the famous Quadrophenia Battle
happened in Brighton in May 1964 – when two rival youth
cultures, “the mods” and the “rockers” caused
chaos in the town.
More recently still, in the 1970’s Brighton built
a conference centre which put it on the world map as a destination
for various international conferences.
Finally, it was in 1997 that “Brighton” and nearby “Hove” merged
into the town we know it as today – "Brighton & Hove".
This was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II as part
of the millennium celebrations in 2000.
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