Conde Nast Traveller “There is no better escape than the beautiful Kemp Townhouse. Oct 2008”
“Simply the best”
About Brighton and Kemp Town
Brighthelmston-Atlingworth was one of three Brighton manors recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. It remained an area of field and country until Dr Richard Russell published his treatise on the benefit of bathing in and of drinking Brighton's seawater. Almost over night Brighton became the place to be and the population rose from about 7,000 in the year 1800 to more than 20,000 in 1820. In the early nineteenth century developer Thomas Read Kemp commissioned architects Busby and Wilde to develop housing that was large and sumptuous enough to attract the wealthy and fashionable elite of London to Brighton. His plan worked and ever since the first steam train pulled into Brighton station in September 1841, Brighton has been the first choice for tired Londoners wanting a day by the seaside.
George IV, the fun-loving Prince Regent added the final seal of fashionable approval by building the Brighton Pavillion, a fantastic Indo-Chinese Palace. Fashionable Londoners flocked to Brighton in his wake to enjoy the baths, theatres, restaurants and racecource. Grand townhouses and squares sprang up and the Victorians continued their love affair with Brighton, notably by building the two piers.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Kemp Town began to draw a more bohemian mix of performers, artists, writers, and gays, who identified themselves by wearing white socks at a time when homosexuality was illegal. The creative spirit of this era very much lives on in Brighton to the day.
Today, this Brighton area can be seen as two neighbourhoods: the westerly located Kemp Town, which is filled with shops, restaurants and bars; and the genteel residential Kemp Town Village, home to spectacular Regency terraces and many UK and international celebrities. (If you’re curious about who’s in town, check out www.visitbrighton.com celebrity residents.)
Before its development, Atlingworth Street was a simple path running from the seafront to the cliff top (later St James’s Street) above. William Constable opened Britain’s first portrait photo studio the "Photographic Institution" in 1841 at the bottom of the street and became famous for taking the first photo of Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert. Today a Brighton cosmetic studio occupies the site.
Fabulous and beautiful Kemp Town sights
- No trip to Brighton is complete without a visit to King George IV’s extravagant folly the Brighton Pavilion.
- Chugging along the Brighton seafront is Volks Railway, the first public electric railway in the world when it opened in 1883.
- Five minutes’ walk away is Brighton's sheltered naturist beach, surprisingly year-round in its appeal.
- Further along the seafront, at the eastern end of Kemp Town, is Brighton Marina, soon to be redeveloped with enhanced conference facilities.
Gay and lesbian Brighton
Brighton has long been known as Britain's number one gay resort, drawing a diverse and international crowd. Conde Nast Traveller even called Brighton the “gay capital of Europe”. The city has a cosmopolitan feel, with cool beachside clubs, good brasseries and a handful of hip hotels, attracting trendy Londoners who want a city-by-the-sea feel.The City is a fun place with friendly people, gorgeous scenery and hot boys and girls. Brighton attracts gay men and lesbians from around the world who come to enjoy the thriving and diverse scene, with plenty of opportunities to dance the night away.
Boutique Hotel Kemp Townhouse Brighton21 Atlingworth Street Brighton East Sussex BN2 1PL |
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Phone 01273 681 400 |
info@kemptownhouse.com |
http://www.kemptownhousebrighton.com/ |
boutique hotels Brighton |
