Reasons to Visit Brighton
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Most people visiting the UK immediately head to London. This is understandable, being the capital and containing so much history and so many tourist attractions within easy reach of each other. However, there is a lot more going on outside the capital than many people (including the people living there) realise. Not least of which is Brighton.
Only an hour’s train ride away from London, Brighton became a popular tourist destination in the 19th century when bank holidays were first introduced – offering mainly Londoners the chance to head to the beach for the day.
But there’s more to Brighton than the beach. A lot more. So much more than many residents barely set foot on the famous pebbles for months at a time. And we’re not just talking about the pavilion (although a Taj Mahal shaped palace in the middle of a British coastal town is bizarrely impressive).
The oldest continuously running…
Brighton seems to have more than its fair share of ‘the oldest continuously running … in the UK’. The Duke of York cinema on London Road is the oldest continuously running cinema in the country, having just celebrated its centenary in 2011. With a fabulous pair of stockinged legs on the roofs it’s worth seeing if not attending.
The Volks electric railway is the oldest continuously running electric railway in the UK, if not Europe. Only open during the summer it’s a wonderful way of travelling along the beach.
The North Laines
Much like Camden market in London, Brighton’s famous North Laines plays host to innumerable independent shopkeepers and market stalls selling record, clothes, bric-a-brac, obscure confectionary…the list goes on.
In a country where most towns are weighed down by shopping districts with little more to offer than the usual chains, the North Laines is something of a rarity. At the very least, record collectors will be satisfied by the sheer number of independent record shops, all selling vinyl, within the space of half a mile.
The clubs
Then there are of course, the clubs. Brighton’s association with dance music stretches back decades, with its seafront clubs playing a key role in the British dance culture of the 90s.
This pedigree carries on today with top class establishments like Coalition, Life, Digital and Audio. People still travel from across the country to spend a weekend raving on Brighton seafront with some of the biggest names in dance.
Nick Lewis is a writer who lives in Brighton, and a regular visitor to Life club. For the latest club and gig listings in Brighton, visit www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk
