Listed buildings

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

b) LISTED BUILDINGS: There are many listed buildings in Marine Parade, but particularly impressive are the bow-fronted nos.18 (Olivier House), 41-45 and 102-104 (with giant, fluted Ionic pilasters), all designed by Wilds and Busby in the 1820s. They also probably designed nos.37, 50-51, 73, 78, 113-119, 124-127 and 137-141.

Other impressive houses include nos.48 (Chain Pier House, with delicate ironwork porch, home of Captain Samuel Brown, designer of the Chain Pier); 54-55 (wide bow, fluted Corinthian pilasters, verandah); 80-83 (wide bows, porches, pilasters with unusual chevron capitals); 84-89 (a composition once known as Marine Terrace, with a mews at the rear approached through a large archway off Bristol Road); 127-133a (Corinthian pilasters); and nos.142-143 (now Bristol Court flats, but built as the Bristol Hotel in 1835 by proprietor William Hallett and named after the first Marquess of Bristol, a local landowner; it was converted in 1935 and has delicate ironwork balconies).

Also listed are nos.17, 38-40, 52-53, 58, 62-64, 68 (Princess Charlotte’s House), 69, 70 (LanesHotel in red brick and knapped flint), 74-77, 100-101, 111-112, 120-123 and 155-165. Nos.100-101 are the Royal Crescent Hotel, opened in 1857. The building was radically altered in 1848 with the addition of three storeys, but the original house was once the home of George Canning, Prime Minister of 1827.

Nos.12, 13, 14, 46 and 47 Marine Parade are included on the council’s local list of buildings of special interest. {44,45,46,306}

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the
Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder

Comments about this page

  • Can you tell me, was this once Neville House Hotel? It looks very much as I remember it as a child when I stayed there with my Grandmother on her annual holiday back to her hometown. It was a splendid hotel with waiters in white jackets, bellboys and porters. Every afternoon tea would be served in the slendid first floor lounge overlooking the sea. Not any ordinary tea – there were trolleys of calorie filled delights which brought all the rather elderly residents flocking to the ornate lounge. I remember lots of Chinese vases and comfortable settees. There was a revolving door entrance at the side and several staircases leading all over the house.

    By C Fenton (03/09/2007)
  • I’m afraid the building in the photo was not once Neville House Hotel. Royal Crescent Mansions is No 100 Marine Parade and Neville House, as it is called today, is No 165. The hotel was run by my mother’s cousin Minnie Weston and although I have at some time been inside the building, it was when I was very young and I have only rather vague memories of it.

    By John Bickerton (30/05/2008)
  • What a beautiful terrace! I would love to sit on the balcony of number 75 – looking out to sea, nursing a G&T.

    By Kenneth Tyzack (30/06/2008)
  • Take a look at this website: http://nevillhouse.googlepages.com/  this is Neville House when it was run as the hotel you mention.  It is now 17 apartments and looks very different but I am proud to be the owner of one, 2nd floor corner windows. I would love to know more about Minnie Weston as we are trying to build more history of the building onto the website for the residents to enjoy.

    By Mike Grimes (04/09/2008)
  • The building above is Neville House Hotel as I remember it when I stayed there in 1974 or 1975, on the corner and exactly as described by C. Fenton.

    By R. Fellows (17/03/2009)
  • 84, Marine Parade was, from the mid fifties to 1972, the Sussex area office of the Automobile Association. In 1972 the property was sold for private development into flats. Many members will remember with affection the splendid reception room and when being a member really was something, besides the patrols’ salute. I was proud to be employed with a great bunch of people during that time.

    By David Collins (27/02/2010)
  • The building shown is the old “Royal Crescent Hotel”, now flats. Nevill House was a bit further to the east, and is now Nevill House flats. Minnie and Harry Weston were my grandparents, and I have many memories of the hotel, which they ran from before the war until 1977. If anyone wishes to contact me, I can give more details.

    By David Weston (05/12/2010)
  • Shortly before she emigrated to Canada in the early 1900s my grandmother Caroline Cotton lived at number 84 with a Mrs Box I believe.

    By Christine Mackintosh (16/08/2012)
  • The Royal Crescent Hotel was always there. My mother and father bought the hotel in the late 70’s and ran it through the 80’s until selling it in 1989. It was a fabulous place and once the holiday retreat of Charlie Chaplin. Dane Edna used to stay very often too!

    By Sunny (31/03/2013)
  • I have a very old family photo of this house, which was owned in the 1880s by the wonderful, colourful character Lewis Strange Wingfield. I’m sure he had many a G&T on the balcony!

    By Jane Cowley (01/07/2013)
  • My best friend Veronica lived here with her two sister’s Vivienne and Vanessa and young brother Francis! Their granny used to have the basement flat. I lived at 126 Marine Parade which was the The Kingsbrook Hotel. Happy Days!

    By Beverley Munton (07/08/2013)
  • My Dad was head chef at Nevill House Hotel in the 60s and 70s, which is the one shown in the link. Posted by Mike Grimes.

    By Andrew Dawson (20/09/2013)
  • I was a Porter at this Hotel in early 80’s and have some very happy memories of my time there. The staff were great and had some wonderful characters. I met many ‘Stars’ in my time and loved the atmosphere it created. My Bosses were a Mr & Mrs Frecker (think he was Belgian) and they treated me well. They had a son who used to invite the ‘JetSet’ of Brighton back most nights and had great fun.

    By haggis087 (07/02/2014)
  • haggis087 – I was a waitress there in the early 80s.  Milly is my name.  Do you remember me?

    By C M (24/06/2014)
  • I used to stay at Neville House as a young child. My parents and certainly my grandmother used to take me there over Christmas probably for 3 consecutive years around 1967. I also remember the bell boys, a Polish waiter called George and naturally the lift attendant, Albert, with whom I used to travel up and down assisting people. Very happy memories. I also recall the owner smoking a pipe and opening up the bar dead on time. My Dad indicated that he knew him from a previous business enterprise. The bar as I recall was located at the end of the ground floor hallway and down a small flight of steps. I would be treated to coke and plain crisps!. I’d love to hear from anyone above via e-mail. Stuart. (Hello Stuart, just want to check that you are happy to have your personal contact details on your posting as it will be available for everyone to use. If so, please indicate by replying with the details. Thanks, editing team)

    By Stuart Jack (19/10/2014)
  • Hi there yes I’m happy. Sorry I’d forgotten I’d even posted this. stuart@expressair.co.uk

    By Stuart Jack (29/01/2018)
  • In the late 1980s, Chaplin’s Bar in the basement was a favourite drinking spot for the Brighton College crowd.  At the time, I was barely 16, and I remember well the cozy bar filled with BColl kids on Saturday nights.  I don’t recall any trouble; we were all fairly sensible, I seem to remember, for a bunch of teenagers.  It was more-or-less an open secret that underaged kids could get served in there, and the school staff clearly knew about it.  I believe that the police raided the place one night that I wasn’t there and that it closed for good after that.  It must have been 1990 or thereabouts.  After that, we began drinking at the King and Queen.

    By F.S. Mercaldo (24/09/2018)

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