Brighton Itineraries

Brighton Trail: December 2009... Kemp Town

Home to a diverse bohemian community, Kemp Town is a unique area of Brighton which is great fun to explore...

Your starting point is the magnificent Victoria fountain on the Old Steine just in front of the recently restored Royal York Hotel. The fountain was built in 1846 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s 27th birthday, and sits on a major ley line.

Most visitors explore the Regency seafront of Kemp Town but our trail takes in the main thoroughfare that cuts through the area: St James’ Street. The street is the heart of Kemp Town and is home to Brighton’s gay community and fondly known as ‘camp town’. The area was developed by Thomas Kemp in the first half of the 19th Century and has been home to some famous names including Lewis Carroll and Laurence Olivier.

Wander up St James’ Street and you’ll see a wide range of shops, cafés and bars. Redroaster is famed for it’s own-roast coffees to drink in or take home, whilst a little further along you’ll stumble upon the Witchcraft shop on the left hand side, perfect for snapping up your coloured spell candles!

Take a left into George Street – it’s a great local high street with just about every kind of shop you could ever need. Drop off your shoes for repairs at Pullingers (the original master cobbler established in 1915), then take tea at the fabulously kitsch ‘n’ camp Tea Cosy, but please mind your manners!

Back on St James’ Street, have a rummage in the many charity shops that are on either side of the road, or pop into a local pub for a pint of Harvey’s Sussex Ale – the St James is one of our favourites and is always busy with interesting locals.

Feeling hungry? Then check out the Olive Tree for Mediterranean food to eat-in or takeaway, or sit down for lunch or dinner at Here Restaurant, where friendly staff serve up glorious food. Sunday roasts are recommended and it’s possibly one of the best people watching spots in town.

The small park is called New Steine Gardens, and you’ll see the recently unveiled HIV/Aids memorial: a magnificent sculpture by famed local artist Romany Mark Bruce.

Carry on along St James’ Street and you’ll see Cardome – a card and gift store that’s packed to the rafters, and also the new magic shop that sells all manner of jokes and tricks, then maybe pop into Gin Gin for a refreshing cocktail? Go on, you deserve it!

At the crossroads with Rock Gardens you’ll come across the impressive red bricked St Mary’s church, built in 1878, it’s well worth a look inside to see the incredible Victorian stained glass windows and if you’re lucky you’ll get to hear the famous Bevington organ.

Continue along Upper St James’ Street and you’ll see the quirky Metrodeco tea house then a row of antique and retro furniture dealers, and the very pink Brighton Flea Market which is a treasure trove of affordable delights.

Continue along onto Bristol Road and you’ll see the beautiful St John the Baptist church. Built in 1835 it was the fourth Catholic church to be consecrated in England, and holds the remains of Maria Fitzherbert, the lover of King George IV. Moving along the road you’ll happen across the often missed Kemp Town Village with it’s boutiques, pubs and restaurants. Explore for yourself or pick up the February 2010 issue of Brighton Visitor for our continuing trail...

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The Royal Pavilion and Brighton Dome complex is one of the city’s highlights

24 Hours in Brighton

The one thing we’re all short of nowadays is time... but don’t stress, we’ve put together a handy itinerary to point you in the right direction so you can make the best of your time with us!

9am: Breakfast

You’ll spoilt for choice for cafés and coffee shops for breakfast. If you’re near Brighton Station then you’ll find the delicious Cocoa French Patisserie which opens 8am during the week and 9am at weekends. This is our favourite café in town and the cakes are to die for!

Cocoa French Patisserie, 48 Queens Road, Brighton • 01273 777 412 • www.cocoabrighton.co.uk

10am: Culture

Pop into one of the city’s fascinating museums. Tucked away under the station you’ll find the Toy & Model Museum with a huge collection of toys and games from bygone years. Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (free) features an impressive collection of designer furniture, ceramics, fashion and paintings, alongside well presented displays about the development of the city. Our favourite museum is found a little outside of the city centre; the Booth Museum of Natural History (free) is crammed from floor to ceiling with taxidermy and curios such as a whale skeleton (kids will love it!).

Brighton Toy & Model Museum, 52-55 Trafalgar Street, Brighton • 01273 749 494 • www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton • 03000 290 900 • www.virtualmuseum.info
Booth Museum of Natural History, 194 Dyke Road, Brighton • 03000 290 900 • www.virtualmuseum.info

Noon: Lunch

Yum yum! We adore the food at The Chimney House pub in the Seven Dials area – expect excellent modern British food crafted from Sussex produce. Pub du Vin just off the seafront is a favourite with the Brighton Visitor team (it shares a kitchen with the renowned Hotel du Vin bistro next door), whilst Donatello Italian restaurant in the Lanes is great value and incredibly popular with locals and visitors alike.

The Chimney House, 28 Upper Hamilton Road, Brighton • 01273 556 708 • www.chimneyhousebrighton.com
Pub du Vin, 6 Ship Street, Brighton • 01273 718 588 • www.hotelduvin.com
Donatello, 1-3 Brighton Place, Brighton • 01273 775 477 • www.donatello.co.uk

2pm: Shopping

Brighton is a shop-a-holics dream! Churchill Square and Western Road are home to high street stores including H&M, Apple, Levis, Topshop, Debenhams and Disney. The Lanes area is a maze of ‘twittens’ packed with jewellers, antique shops and gift stores alongside many designer fashion retailers. Bohemian North Laine features many of the best of the city’s unique independent retailers plus an indoor market - it’s the only place to go to pick up great one-off art and retro fashions.

Info about central Brighton www.churchillsquare.com / www.uniquebrighton.com
Or www.uniqueto.co.uk for a directory of the city’s independent shops

4pm: Fun

Let your hair down and go wild on Brighton Pier (the Super Booster is not for the faint of heart), get bowled over at Bowlplex at the marina, check out old arcade machines at the seafront Museum of Penny Slot Machines, or view some great street art at the fabulous Prescription Art Gallery (we love this place).

Brighton Pier, Madeira Drive, Brighton • 01273 609 361 • www.brightonpier.co.uk
Bowlplex, Brighton Marina • 01273 818 180 • www.bowlplex.co.uk
Prescription Art, 115 Church Street, Brighton • www.prescriptionart.com

7pm: Dinner

We’ve got a world of cuisine on offer - choose from North African, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, Italian... even British! For authentic Spanish tapas pop into Solera D Tapa in North Laine, for amazing curries try the stylish Indian Summer, or for fine dining then there’s simply only one choice: ‘the restaurant at drakes’,

Solera D Tapa, 42 Sydney Street, Brighton • 01273 673 966 • http://d-tapa.com/dtapa.html
Indian Summer, 69 East Street, Brighton • 01273 711 001 • www.indian-summer.org.uk
‘the restaurant at drakes’, 43-44 Marine Parade, Brighton • 01273 696 934 • www.therestaurantatdrakes.co.uk

9pm: Night

Our favourite haunt is Lucky Voice - book a stylish private karaoke booth and sing your heart out! This is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. If you’re looking for a great traditional boozer then The Cricketers is the perfect choice with a number of atmospheric rooms set over two floors. Clubbers should head to West Street for hands-in-the-air anthems or onto the seafront for dancing with attitude.

Lucky Voice, 8 Black Lion Street, Brighton • 01273 715 770 • www.luckyvoice.com

The Cricketers, Black Lion Street, Brighton • 01273 329 472