North Laine History

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Model Dwellings, Church St

This block of flats, built in about 1852, was an attempt to provide improved housing for the poor at a time when there was increasing concern about the quality of housing and the prevalence of disease.

In London the Peabody Trust and other charities established homes for up to 150,000 and those behind the movement claimed it was possible to provide good quality housing at a reasonable profit. Tenants were provided with more space than their contemporaries, at a better rent and with better facilities (eg cooking range with water heaters, ventilated larders and sinks with draining boards).

However, the Model Dwellings movement did not catch on, for even though it was claimed it was possible to provide a 5% return on investment, this was not enough for many landlords.

The Model Dwellings at the corner of Church Street and Jew Street are a fine example of an apartment block built in the mid-Victorian period and must have made a vivid contrast to the courtyard dwellings opposite in Preece's Buildings.

The building was built by the ‘Brighton Association for the Improvement of the Industrious Classes’of whom William Kebbell was chairman. Kebbell was a doctor who was much concerned about the condition of the working class in Brighton and who gave lectures in the town about the climate of Brighton and industrial conditions. His lectures were published as were his thoughts on how the climate helped Brighton’s reputation as a place for children to be brought up.

Introduction

Why North Laine? Historical Development of North Laine North Laine at War, part 1 North Laine at War part 2 Beer in North Laine Living in North Laine in 1900 Schools in North Laine A Snapshot of North Laine in 1957

The Coronation Cinema Gloucester Rd Drill Hall Model  Dwellings Church St Drill Hall Swan Downer School The Post Office Sorting Building Carluccios and the Waggon and Horses 15-16 Trafalgar St The Canterbury  St Nicholas Memorial School

Kensington Place Foundry St Queens Gardens Upper Gardner Street Pelham Square Kensington  Gardens Tichborne  Street area Trafalgar Lane Cheltenham Place Bond Street Kemp St Gardner Street Tidy St Trafalgar St North Road Robert St Marlborough Place Blackman St Frederick Gardens Gloucester Rd Over St Frederick Street

Tom Sayers Peggy Ramsay William Moon Mary Belton Ken Fines The Murder of Violet Kaye Pat Lettres Denis Hobden Alice Reynolds A Penny for the Gas Violet Pumphrey John Barber Rita Buckrell Bill Butler Mr Butt Dorothy Cooke Yvonne Dedman Terry Etherton Linda Freedman Hokey Pokey Man EWrnie Longhurst Christiana the Chocolate Murderess Roy Fowler Muriel Hart Mina Violet Monger Cyril Mount Roy Moffatt Tex Mcleod Michael Trotobas

A Walk from Brighton Museum to North Rd From Kensington Gardens to  Brighton Station

How did North Laine become a Conservation Area? Building Regulations Why is North Laine a Conservation Area? Listed Buildings What do I need Planning Permission for?