Articles from the past

In the course of our research we come across all sorts of references, articles and poems about Brighton which we like to share with you on this website.


A visit to Brighton was an established part of the Regency social calendar. The King and his entourage would arrive, attracting all who aspired to fashionable society. Although popular with many, an alternative view of Brighton is provided in Christmas out of Town, a humorous poem of 1825 that describes the misery of a man dragged by his wife to Brighton for Christmas.


William Sawyer and his wife Mary Ann lived in Pelham Square and appear to have been an important part of the Brighton literary scene. William was a respected humourist, writer and playwright, while his Mary Ann’s poetry was frequently published in the Brighton Herald and was quite daring for the time. Here is her poem A love song from May 1860.


This article about the taking of the 1861 census was published in the Brighton Herald. It is notable for its detailed account of the work of the census ‘Enumerators’ and is narrated from the point of view of the fabulously named but fictional Onesimus Spriggles.