About Kemp Town
Brighthelmston-Atlingworth was one of three Brighton manors recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. It remained an area of field and country until the early nineteenth century, when developer Thomas Read Kemp commissioned architects Busby and Wilde to develop housing that was large and sumptuous enough to attract the wealthy and fashionable elite of London.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Kemp Town began to draw a more bohemian mix of performers, artists, writers, and gays, who identified themselves by wearing white socks at a time when homosexuality was illegal. The creative spirit of this era very much lives on today.
Today, the area can be seen as two neighbourhoods: the westerly located Kemp Town, which is filled with shops, restaurants and bars; and the genteel residential Kemp Town Village, home to spectacular Regency terraces and many UK and international celebrities. (If you’re curious about who’s in town, check out www.visitbrighton.com celebrity residents.)
Before its development, Atlingworth Street was a simple path running from the seafront to the cliff top (later St James’s Street) above. William Constable opened Britain’s first portrait photo studio at the bottom of the street and became famous for taking the first photo of Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert. Today a cosmetic studio occupies the site.
Fabulous and beautiful Kemp Town sights
- No trip to Brighton is complete without a visit to King George IV’s extravagant folly the Brighton Pavilion.
- Chugging along the seafront is Volks Railway, the first public electric railway in the world when it opened in 1883.
- Five minutes’ walk away is the sheltered naturist beach of Kemp Town, surprisingly year-round in its appeal.
- Further along the seafront, at the eastern end of Kemp Town, is Brighton Marina, soon to be redeveloped with enhanced conference facilities.
Gay and lesbian
Brighton has long been known as Britain's number one gay resort, attracting a diverse and international crowd. Kemp Town offers a thriving and diverse scene, with plenty of opportunities to dance the night away.
21 Atlingworth Street Brighton East Sussex BN2 1PL |
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Phone 01273 681 400 |
Fax 0844 736 59 39 |
info@kemptownhouse.com |
www.kemptownhouse.com |