Nicholas Antram

The East Sussex volume of The Buildings of England covers an area ranging from the High Weald in the north of the county to the massive ridge of the South Downs and the resort towns and ancient ports of the coast. Its coastal resorts are particularly distinguished, none more so than Brighton and Hove, where John Nash’s oriental Pavilion for the Prince Regent sets the tone. Elsewhere castles at Camber, Bodiam and fortified town walls at Rye and Winchelsea attest to its military past and Battle Abbey to its medieval endowments. The towns and villages are especially rich in timber-framed, brick and tile houses for which the county is famous. The twentieth century makes its mark in the exhilarating De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill, and the uncompromising forms of the 1960s University of Sussex campus.

This book is the first comprehensive guide to the historic heart of Brighton and Hove, the greatest of England's seaside resorts. A series of walks trace its development from late medieval fishing settlement to the "Queen of the Watering Places," with a lively and critical commentary on its unique architectural character. Few cities can boast such an exotic diversity of buildings, from the outlandish Pavilion, playground of the Prince Regent, to genteel squares and terraces, Victorian architecture both serious and whimsical and landmarks of twentieth century modernism. This guide will delight resident and visitor alike.