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We thought we'd Brighton up January with a few of our favourite quirky facts about Brighton & Hove...
Sea Life Brighton
Sea Life Brighton is the world's oldest operational aquarium and boasts the country’s largest underwater viewing tunnel.
Volk's Railway
The Volk's Railway was first opened in 1883 and is Britain’s oldest public electric railway. Did you know that Magnus Volk also developed another railway that ran through the surf from Brighton to Rottingdean? As the train was in water a sea captain had to be on board at all times.
Shoreham Airport
The airport hosted the first ever commercial flight to Hove Lawns on 4 July 1911. The cargo was light bulbs.
St Ann's Well Gardens
Esme Collings shot the oldest surviving ‘blue’ movie in St Ann's Well Gardens in 1896 while George Albert Smith built his own camera and film studio in the gardens.
Brighton Dome
Swedish pop greats ABBA sang their way to Eurovision victory at Brighton Dome in 1974. The UK came 4th with "Long Live Love" sung by Olivia Newton-John.
The Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion was used as a military hospital during the First World War for Indian soldiers and British amputees. The Indian hospital is marked by two monuments in Brighton - The Chattri memorial on the Downs and The Indian Gate at the southern entrance to the Pavilion.
The time is now…
2 of the 5 permanent voices of the speaking clock have been from Brighton & Hove (Brian Cobby and Sara Mendes de Costa)
Pink Floyd
The band debuted Dark Side of the Moon at Brighton Dome in 1972 and Dave Gilmour currently lives in Hove.
Norman Cook
Whilst it is well-known that the DJ (better known as FatBoy Slim) lives in Brighton it is less well-known that he owns a café in Hove Lagoon. In fact during most of 2020 he waited tables at the Big Beach Café!
Naturist Beach
Britain's first official naturist beach was opened in Brighton in 1979 and is still used to ths day.
St Bartholomew's Church
The church is the tallest brick church in Europe and is supposedly built to the same dimensions as Noah's Ark.
Hilton Brighton Metropole
The hotel's bar is named the Waterhouse after the architect Alfred Waterhouse who in additon to designing the lovely red-brick hotel on Brighton seafront also gave us London's iconic Natural History Museum.
Charlotte
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