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East Street Arcade

Oldest established business

The creation of this shopping arcade in the early 1960s involved demolition of premises occupied by probably the oldest established business in Brighton. Wallis, Holder & Lee had been in Market Street, at 14 & 15, since 1804 when the business was started by Mr Isaac Bass. They vacated the premises at Easter 1959, but it was a little later when the shop at the rear at number 2 Bartholomew’s was acquired and demolition went ahead.

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Photographed in 1960

East Street Arcade

Originally known as Regent Arcade

Originally called Regent but renamed East Street Arcade, it was opened in 1962 on the site of Warden’s Buildings, a group of warehouses named after Francis Warden who bought land in the area in the late eighteenth century. The site was anciently known as the Mockbeggar’s Croft, a field probably connected with St Bartholomew’s Priory.

Comments about this page

  • Oh, this brings back a few memories!  In 1966/7 I worked at 4 Bartholomews as a secretary for Hatchwell & Draper, Estate Agents & Surveyors.  The rear section of the premises was used as a photographic shop run by David Hatchwell which had an entrance door from Regent Arcade.  

    By Barbara Etherton (21/06/2014)
  • I remember Wallis Holder and Lee  they had a warehouse at the bottom of North Rd tucked away in a little cul-de-sac. They were wholesalers for groceries and provisions and they leased a retail shop in Woodingdean,  running it till 1963 when my wife and I took the shop over until about 1967. The council wanted the land we were sitting on for development for private housing,so leased us a plot of land so we could build another shop further away.

    By Pete Rose (17/02/2016)
  • Cyril Scaping worked for Wallis Holder & Lee from about 1915 until 1965, loyal employee from office boy to MD.

    By Barry SCAPING (26/11/2021)

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