Photos from the 1930s

Comments about this page

  • I have been trying to find where the family had lived in Brighton for many years and came across this site with the pictures of Brighton quite by chance two days ago. The photos are brilliant as is the write up but it shook me to the core to see such vivid detail of the life my ancesters had lived. The lifestyle we have today could not even have been a dream for them but I like to think they would be so proud that their relatives have made good. Life for them was quite obviously hard, cold and damp – no wonder so many died young.

    By M. E. Long (17/11/2004)
  • My grandparents, Richard Standing and Lillian Homewood, lived in 55 Willliam Street in 1908.

    By J. (27/09/2006)
  • In 1841, my great great great grandparents Thomas and Elizabeth Pelling lived in William St. Next door lived his son Robert Ackerson Pelling and his wife, also Elizabeth, my great great grandparents. In 1851 they were living in number 54, shown in the picture above. It brings it home to one how they had to live in those days and Robert had nine children! As far as I can tell they stayed there untill the 1870s then moved to number 10 William St. Robert died in 1890, and Elizabeth had to move into The Workhouse at the top of Elm Grove. She died a year later aged 71 and a pauper. 49 years later I was born in the same building now the Brighton General Hospital.

    By Ralph Packham (09/05/2007)
  • Very interesting to read this page, and learn that the previous persons family moved from 54 William Street into number 10. I was born in number 10 William Street in 1943, our neighbours were the Gunn family, both sides of us, there was Daisy Gunn and family one side and Emma Gunn the other. Daisy’s husband and sons sold fruit and veg, and Emma’s sold whelks and crabs along with fish;aah what a lot of memories I have.

    By George/Duffy Newman (28/12/2009)
  • My dad, George Sullivan, was born in Park Place in 1918. His mother was Mary Sullivan. Mary went on to marry Leslie Baldwin, and they had daughters Marie, Maureen, Eileen and a son, Leslie. The family moved to Elder Street, and I remember visiting as a young child in the 50s. If anyone has any info about the Sullivans or the Baldwins, I would be pleased to hear from them.

    By Jan Sinkfield (08/04/2010)
  • At the moment I am studying an English course at adult education level. At present our studies involve Brighton in 1936. This website is so useful for my studies, it has helped me build a better background towards what Brighton looked like and what it was really like in those days.

    By Tony Vitulli (25/09/2010)
  • My husband’s grandmother, Elizabeth Esther Warren, was born at 55 William Street in 1876. Her father, Robert, was a shoemaker. It seems Robert died soon after her birth and by 1881 she was at Brighton Industrial School and her mother was in the workhouse.

    By Wendy Libby (05/04/2012)

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