Tourist Guide for Brighton East Sussex - History
It is known that Brighthelmstone existed in Saxon times as a small fishing village, but its fortunes looked up in 1749 when Dr. Richard Russell published a book proclaiming the medicinal qualities of seawater, in particular that at Brighton. The town soon became the fun place to go to escape London and eventually caught the attention of the equally fun loving Prince Regent as a place to indulge himself away from his disapproving father King George III. His most famous legacy is the extravagant Royal Pavilion built in 1823 and inspired by Indian architecture, which now attracts many thousands of visitors each year.
Brighton Promenade
During the 1960's Brighton's image became tarnished by the battles between mods and rockers that regularly attracted youngsters on scooters at weekends, who indulged in chases, fights and vandalism.
Brighton became a city in December 2000 and today revels in its reputation for being trendy, easy going, tolerant and friendly, with a 40,000 strong gay and lesbian community and 400 pubs and restaurants, providing the greatest choice per head of population outside of Central London.
Brighton East Sussex BN1
