Hanningtons Features in Brighton Walking Guide

The latest issue of  ‘Walking Brighton & Hove’, published by Metro Publications Ltd, has hit the book stores this week and Hanningtons is delighted to feature in two of the eight walks in the area.

Steeped in Brighton history, the former ‘Harrods of Brighton’ gets a special mention in the Old Steine Walk. The department store began as a small drapery business in 1798 and expanded from 1808 onwards into a larger and more prosperous business, combining several buildings along North Street and ’round the corner into East Street. The beautiful pastel coloured fronts have all been repainted by new owner Redevco in recent years, restoring this corner of the city to its former glory, attracting luxury retailers.

The Old Brighthelmstone Walk points out the former Hanningtons department store clock, which is now permanently set at 12 o’clock – the original mechanism has been fully restored and is on display in Hanningtons Lane. It also encourages walkers to seek out the oldest house in Brighton – Puget’s Cottage – which has been restored as part of the new Lane, after being hidden for decades. Named after its most notable early occupant,  local philanthropist John Puget (1802-67), the exterior wall includes cobbles from discarded ship’s ballast, collected from the beach.

On page 107, the author Andrew Kershman writes “At this point it is worth doffing a cap to the developers for their sympathetic restoration of this part of town”. He also mentions Sir Herbert Garden, who, if he had had his way in the mid 1930s, would have ‘swept away’ much of the area, making room for more modern buildings. “Thankfully  Anthony Dale and the Regency Society thwarted these plans and Redevco have continued this tradition of conservation rather than demolition”.

We hope to see many walkers at Hanningtons soon and thanks to Andrew and Metro for publishing a fantastic read!