If you love life, then you are destined to love Brighton.
Brighton is the most exciting and extraordinary seaside city in Britain. With its bustling, cosmopolitan air, abundance of restaurants, bars and shops, busy nightlife and graceful mix of ancient and modern, it defies comparison with any other British city.
Set against the scenic backdrop of the Sussex Downs and traditional English countryside, Brighton is only 87 km from London on the South coast of England, with excellent transport links to London airports and many towns, cities and places of interest in the south of England.
Brighton rose to prominence in the 1750s when it was adopted by London High Society, after the Prince Regent (later King George IV) decided to make it his home. The former small fishing town was soon transformed into a fashionable, graceful city of beautiful Regency architecture. The Prince Regent commissioned the famous Royal Pavilion, which was based on the Taj Mahal and is now open to the public.
Portslade
Portslade is suburb of Brighton and Hove with a population of 18,000. Portslade by Sea and Portslade Old Village each have their own distinctive character.
Portslade Village, is 1.6km to the north of the sea and was built up in the 16th century. The village today has a post office and small store, launderette, some take away restaurants and pubs.
It nestles in a valley of the Downs and still retains its rural character with flint buildings, a village green and the small parish church, which is the second-oldest church in the city.
Portslade-by-the-Sea is a small but busy seaport harbour basin and is the industrial centre of Brighton and Hove.
Boundary Road is the main shopping area as well as being the location of Portslade railway station, with direct trains to the centre of Brighton (10 minutes) and London Victoria (1 hour). Boundary Road is, as the name suggests, located at the boundary between Portslade and neighboring Hove.
There is a bus stop immediately outside the school ground with a direct bus service into centre of Brighton that goes every 10 minutes and takes 22 minutes.
Britain’s most famous seafront
A walk along Brighton beach is an experience like no other, and is not to be missed. Admire the elegant Regency buildings along the seafront or stroll out onto the world famous Brighton Pier, steeped in its long history of literary and cinematic associations. Enjoy the nostalgic appeal of the funfair attractions; soak up the unique atmosphere as you lose yourself in the network of mysterious ‘twittens’, alleyways and lanes that lead off the seafront and into the heart of the city.
[Image: busy Brighton beach on a beautiful, sunny day]
Visit Brighton’s fantastical seaside palace, the Royal Pavilion, with its Indian domes and minarets and opulent Chinese style interior; stroll the world-famous beachfront and boardwalk with its bohemian Artists’ Quarter and numerous clubs, bars and music venues.
Later on explore the coast towards the east and end up at Brighton Marina; catch the Volks Railway and Dotto train there to look at the yachts and enjoy the abundance of shops, restaurants and cafes.
Art & culture
Brighton hosts a vibrant arts scene encompassing an eclectic mix of music, theatre, art and film. Explore Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, internationally famous for its collection of old masters and modern paintings, water colours and drawings; visit Hove Museum and Art Gallery with its important collections of 18th and 20th century paintings. Or you could take a trip out to nearby Charleston Farmhouse, the colourful and eccentric home of the Bloomsbury Group artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.
Other museums in the area include the D-Day Aviation Museum, Barlow Gallery and Museum, Booth Museum of National History, Museum of Childhood, Rejectomania and Yesterday’s World.
Shopping
Shopping in Brighton and Hove is as cosmopolitan as the city itself, with many different areas to explore and an eclectic medley of shops catering to all tastes, from the wildly eccentric to the fashionably chic, and everything in between.
Alongside the city’s stylish and vibrant mix of indoor shopping malls and high street stores, there are the unique and small specialist shops of the Laines (a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways near the seafront). Here you can explore a maze of quirky and fun shops selling antiques, jewellery, designer clothes and much more.
Food & Drink
Brighton and Hove’s cosmopolitan atmosphere extends to its cuisine. The city boasts over 400 restaurants and cafes specialising in a huge variety of different foods including Chinese, Thai, Indian, French, English, Spanish, Japanese and, of course, the traditional British cream tea!
Brighton and Hove also has a pub to suit everybody’s tastes. They range in style from converted churches, large theme pubs, small cosy Victorian front rooms and traditional corner pubs.
Out & About
Brighton and Hove is a great base for exploring the beautiful Sussex countryside. It is surrounded by stunning rural landscapes, famous towns, cities and sites. It is located just south of the Downs, the famous national trust site of Devil’s Dyke and many other splendid walking and rambling trails.
Some of the places you could visit within an hour and a half’s drive include the historic towns of Lewes, Chichester, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Portsmouth and London. You could also visit Bodiam, Arundel or Lewes Castles or the historic houses of Parham, Bateman and Standen. Sussex also has a wealth of picturesque villages and famous gardens including Alfriston, Lindfield, Petworth, Leonardslee and Nymans.
Historic buildings and famous gardens
Depending on your interest and motivation, there are so many possibilities in the area.
Below are just some of the possibilities:
Royal Pavilion
With its domes and minarets and its blend of Indian architecture and opulent Chinese interiors, it is a must for anybody visiting Brighton.
www.brightonmuseums.org.uk/royalpavilion/
Regency Town House
A terraced home dating from the 1820s which has now been restored as a Heritage Centre. A visit will give you a fascinating and rewarding insight into Regency life in Brighton and Hove.
www.rth.org.uk
Bateman’s, Burwash
The home of Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/batemans
Michelham Priory, Upper Dicker
This outstanding 13th century moated priory, complete with an Elizabethan wing, has beautiful landscaped gardens and is even reputed its own ghost!
http://www.visitsussex.org/page/michelham-priory/
For more information about Brighton please visit www.visitbrighton.com
[Image: vblogo]