This Bird’s Eye View of Brighton was produced by John Bruce in 1839. It is a view looking south down the central valley towards the sea.
What can we see?
Brighton Town Hall
Situated in the old streets of the Lanes, Brighton’s Town Hall sometimes feels tucked away. Here it stands as an impressive landmark.
Construction work on the Town Hall had been completed in 1832, so the building was still fairly new at this point.
Hotels
Brighton was a popular seaside resort and contained numerous hotels.
The ‘Gloster Hotel’ is one of two that can be identified in this print.
Stables
Horses were the main means of transport at this time. Several can be seen on the roads, but they also needed somewhere to rest and be fed.
Next to the Richmond Hotel we can see the facade of a building leading to an open area. This served as the stables for residents to the hotel.
Other transport
Horses were not the only means of transport. Here we can see three donkeys. These were often used for basic labour tasks, or offered as rides for entertainment.
Human labour was sometimes still necessary. We can see a woman in a bath chair being pulled along by an attendant.
Author: Kevin Bacon, Digital Manager
With thanks to @ArCarpenDigital for suggesting this image on Twitter.