A Palace
by the sea
by patenting an air pump to relieve
sufferers. They were later renamed
Hobden’s Royal Artillery Baths in 1824.
Hobden’s Baths (formally the Artillery
Baths) were demolished in 1864 and
replaced with a more modern, betterequipped establishment in November of
that year. It consisted of dipping baths and
steam vapour rooms with a reading room
and private dressing rooms.
A swimming pool was later opened in
1865 at the rear of the building, where
the Empress Suite now stands. Although
the pool was owned by Hobden’s, the
Grand had its own private access to
the baths. They were finally acquired
at the end of 1899 by the hotel and
later adapted as part of it, concealed
under the floor of the ballroom until the
refurbishment of the hotel following
bomb damage in 1984.
The twentieth century
The Grand Brighton
undeniably has played a
prominent role in British
history and is a muchregarded piece of the city’s
historic architecture. The
150th anniversary of this
legendary, iconic hotel is an
opportunity to reflect and
explore the ‘Grand tale’ from
its opening in 1864 to the
present day.
In 1703, a great storm damaged the
coast and tore away the seafront
where most of the fishermen lived. By
1722, Brighton had become so poor
that money was collected in churches
throughout Britain to raise funds to
strengthen the sea defences.
named Artillery Place was built, which
consisted of terraced homes and a
property named Battery House, which
used to house army officers. In 1861, it
was occupied by a Captain T. B. Hawkes
but by 1862 it was demolished to make
way for the Grand.
However in 1749, the town’s fortunes
were reversed when Dr William Russell
published a book extolling the medicinal
qualities of seawater, especially in
Brighton. Along with the proximity to the
capital, wealthy Londoners were lured to
Brighton for a dip in the sea – with the aid
of bathing machines to help lower them
into the water. He built his first therapeutic
baths in 1768 here in Brighton.
The first stone was laid on the 13th
December 1862 on the site of the old
Battery House. The architect was John. H.
Whichcord FSA of the City of London and
the builder Lewes Glenton of Blackheath.
Brighton’s history
The Prince Regent visited Brighton
in 1782, aged just 21, and by 1784
had started building his own luxury
palace – The Royal Pavilion. The 1780s
onward saw the town’s golden age of
architecture, much of which still stands
today, including Regency squares,
terraces and crescents.
We begin our historic journey at the
beginning, with a synopsis of Brighton’s
rich history.
Brighthelmstone was the original Saxon
name of Brighton, a small fishing village.
By the end of the fifteenth century, it
was the fourth largest urban population
in Sussex. By 1580 there were 400
fishermen in a population of 2,500,
making this a fair sized