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Brightoniana: Embassy Court

Brightoniana: Embassy Court

I love a nosey behind closed doors and I was interested to take a tour around Embassy Court on Saturday. It's a fascinating and beautiful building from the 1930s. More Miami Beach than West Pier, and certainly a Brighton icon. Tales of Embassy Court's heydey before the war, replete with a ... Read more »
Brightoniana: London Brighton & South Coast Railway stone

Brightoniana: London Brighton & South Coast Railway stone

I don't really know what this is, but I snapped it. It's a stone in the central reservation of the barrier at the west end of the railway bridge at the junction where New England and Old Shoreham Roads meet. I guess, technically, that it's on New England Road. It obviously has a railway ... Read more »
Brightoniana: Aubrey Beardsley

Brightoniana: Aubrey Beardsley

I'd never seen this plaque on Buckingham Road before yesterday. It's commemorates the all too brief life of the artist and illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley who was born at number 12. It's such a shame that it has a spray can squiggle on it. Not least because such artlessness seems totally at odds ... Read more »
Brightoniana: Some links I've enjoyed

Brightoniana: Some links I’ve enjoyed

The Argus is the first for news. I particularly enjoyed this picture of the Mayor last week. What IS he doing? How to be a Retronaut is a superb compendium of old snaps and views. It's required reading in my personal blogosphere. Last week The Retronaut people published some really rather ... Read more »
Election Notes 2010: On losing

Election Notes 2010: On losing

It’s more than a month since the General Election and I have one last post to make in my Election Notes series. I’ve been sitting on it because I was unsure exactly what I wanted to say. I made some notes at the time. This is a verbatim extract from the Sunday after the General Election: ... Read more »
What's happening to Brighton's Post Boxes?

What’s happening to Brighton’s Post Boxes?

What's going on with Brighton's post boxes? Here's the double one one outside the Post Office on Melville Road. And the second was spotted at the Dyke Road end of Buckingham Road. I thought at first it might be incompetant priming for a new coat. But according to the nice lady in the Post Office ... Read more »
Election Notes: iPhone Snaps

Election Notes: iPhone Snaps

Before I close off the Election Notes series, I have a few more posts to make when I have a moment. Yesterday, I finally cleared some snaps off my phone and put them on flickr. You can find the set here. Here are several of my ... Read more »
Election Notes: Something for the geeks.

Election Notes: Something for the geeks.

I thought this graphic might be interesting to political geeks out there. It's the visitors to nancyplatts.com (Brighton Pavilion's Labour candidate) in the run up to the general election. I've taken the numbers off: consider this indicative. I didn't really know what to expect trafficwise but ... Read more »
Election Notes 29/04/10: The battle of hustings

Election Notes 29/04/10: The battle of hustings

Anyone who cares about democracy is in favour of anything that breathes life into politics. That could be electoral reform, Twitter, public meetings, canvassing, men dressed in chicken suits. There are actually lots of ways of encouraging discussion and debate. All are good. I’m just not sure ... Read more »
Election Notes 28/04/10: Going Postal

Election Notes 28/04/10: Going Postal

The postal votes are out there now. In Brighton Pavilion, something like 10000 voters will be voting postally. It’s astonishing. It’s also tantalising to wonder what those ballots cast could tell us but that must elude us. The postal vote packs went out last week and a great percentage ... Read more »
Election Notes 27/04/10/: It must be election time because…

Election Notes 27/04/10/: It must be election time because…

I walk down a street and the first thing I wonder is how the doors are numbered. I haven’t taken a go on Facebook Scrabble for 4 days. I’ve skipped my beloved pub quiz several times and that NEVER happens. Red garments are being worn more. Blue and green ones. Not so much. My ... Read more »
Election Notes 25/04/10: Beware polite Tories

Election Notes 25/04/10: Beware polite Tories

As any activist knows, canvassing isn’t really about persuasion (although it does sometimes turn into a discussion, and quite right too). It’s predominantly a data collecting exercise. Where is your support? Make sure you solidify it. Get your people out on polling day. That’s why I ... Read more »
Election Notes: 24/04/10: What’s an anti-Tory vote in Brighton Pavilion?

Election Notes: 24/04/10: What’s an anti-Tory vote in Brighton Pavilion?

A friend asked me the other day: “I don’t want a Tory MP. So who’s telling the truth: Labour or Green?” He was referring to the Labour and Green leaflets that are going out and both claim to be the only ones who can beat the Conservatives here. It’s a fair question and the answer is: we ... Read more »
Election Notes 22/04/10: Before 1997, before Iraq

Election Notes 22/04/10: Before 1997, before Iraq

The retiring MP for Brighton Pavilion, David Lepper, is a good man. I've told him off about voting for the Digital Economy Bill. Fear not. But he worked hard to get to parliament and there are very few folk who'd say he hasn't been a great local MP since 1997. David has been clearing out his ... Read more »