9 Pool Valley, Brighton
Encyclopedia
9 Pool Valley is a late 18th-century house and shop in the centre of Brighton
, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built as a bakery and shop for a local family, with two floors of living accommodation above, it later passed to another Brighton family who kept up the baking tradition until the mid-20th century. Since then it has had various commercial uses. Described as "one of the most famous surviving early buildings" in Brighton and "a charming relic", the exterior is clad in distinctive black glazed mathematical tile
s. English Heritage
has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
coast at a point where several valleys meet the sea. One of these was formed by the flow of the River Wellesbourne, a winterbourne
which came to the surface at Patcham
. The intermittent flow of the stream created a boggy, marshy area of land around which the old village of Brighthelmstone developed. Just before entering the sea, it formed a small pool. As demand for land grew in the late 18th century during a period of rapid growth, the Wellesbourne was diverted into a culvert
and built over: the Prince of Wales
and the Duke of Marlborough
paid for this. The pool was hidden under a new road, Pool Valley, in 1792–93.
Pool Valley connected the south end of Old Steine
and the seafront. Old Steine (or The Steine) was the name now given to the marshy valley bottom previously used by fishermen drying their nets, and for the growing of hemp: it had been drained, and by 1790 it formed the focal point of the growing town of Brighton. Houses and entertainment venues surrounded it and faced the grass, which was used for promenading
; railings were built around the land; and the fishermen were evicted.
As soon as the new road opened, buildings were built on both sides. The structure at number 9, on the northwest side of the street, was built for both commercial and residential use: the ground floor was used as a bakery, and there were two floors of accommodation above. It may have been built for the Streeters, a local family who were involved in the baking trade. In 1845, the business was run as a bakery and shop by Sarah Streeter. The Cowley family, long established in Brighton, took over at some point before the 1861 Census
, after which the business became known as Cowley's Bun Shop and, later, Ye Olde Bunn Shoppe. Around the middle of the 20th century, the building passed out of the Cowley family's ownership, and the ground-floor shop unit was converted to other commercial uses such as a restaurant.
The building was listed at Grade II* on 13 October 1952. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
, a former resident of Brighton, to call it "as charming a relic of ... Brighthelmstone [Brighton's former name] as anyone could wish to see". It is a three-storey building with a modern shopfront on the lowest floor, two storeys in residential use above, and a large hipped roof
with dormer windows. The top two floors are laid with black glazed mathematical tile
s—often used in the 18th and 19th centuries on buildings in Brighton, and a characteristic feature of the local architecture. The second and third storeys also have canted
bay window
s; to the sides and rear (facing an ancient alleyway
), original sash window
s remain. The left dormer window is a casement
, while the right has a sash window.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built as a bakery and shop for a local family, with two floors of living accommodation above, it later passed to another Brighton family who kept up the baking tradition until the mid-20th century. Since then it has had various commercial uses. Described as "one of the most famous surviving early buildings" in Brighton and "a charming relic", the exterior is clad in distinctive black glazed mathematical tile
Mathematical tile
Mathematical tiles are a building material used extensively in the southeastern counties of England—especially East Sussex and Kent—in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were laid on the exterior of timber-framed buildings as an alternative to brickwork, which their appearance closely resembled...
s. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Brighton is situated on the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast at a point where several valleys meet the sea. One of these was formed by the flow of the River Wellesbourne, a winterbourne
Winterbourne (stream)
A winterbourne is a stream or river that is dry through the summer months. A winterbourne is sometimes simply called a bourne, from the Anglo-Saxon for a stream flowing from a spring, although this term can also be used for all-year water courses....
which came to the surface at Patcham
Patcham
Patcham is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove. It is approximately north of the city centre, bounded by the A27 to the north, Hollingbury to the east and southeast, Withdean to the south and the Brighton Main Line to the west...
. The intermittent flow of the stream created a boggy, marshy area of land around which the old village of Brighthelmstone developed. Just before entering the sea, it formed a small pool. As demand for land grew in the late 18th century during a period of rapid growth, the Wellesbourne was diverted into a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
and built over: the Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
and the Duke of Marlborough
George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough
George Spencer-Churchill, 5th Duke of Marlborough FSA , styled Marquess of Blandford until 1817, was a British peer and collector of antiquities and books.-Background and education:...
paid for this. The pool was hidden under a new road, Pool Valley, in 1792–93.
Pool Valley connected the south end of Old Steine
Old Steine
The Old Steine is a thoroughfare in central Brighton, East Sussex, and is the southern terminus of the A23. The southern end leads to Marine Parade, the Brighton seafront and the Palace Pier. The Old Steine is also the site of a number of City Centre bus stops for Brighton buses...
and the seafront. Old Steine (or The Steine) was the name now given to the marshy valley bottom previously used by fishermen drying their nets, and for the growing of hemp: it had been drained, and by 1790 it formed the focal point of the growing town of Brighton. Houses and entertainment venues surrounded it and faced the grass, which was used for promenading
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
; railings were built around the land; and the fishermen were evicted.
As soon as the new road opened, buildings were built on both sides. The structure at number 9, on the northwest side of the street, was built for both commercial and residential use: the ground floor was used as a bakery, and there were two floors of accommodation above. It may have been built for the Streeters, a local family who were involved in the baking trade. In 1845, the business was run as a bakery and shop by Sarah Streeter. The Cowley family, long established in Brighton, took over at some point before the 1861 Census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
, after which the business became known as Cowley's Bun Shop and, later, Ye Olde Bunn Shoppe. Around the middle of the 20th century, the building passed out of the Cowley family's ownership, and the ground-floor shop unit was converted to other commercial uses such as a restaurant.
The building was listed at Grade II* on 13 October 1952. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
Architecture
The building is one of the oldest surviving houses in Brighton, and has been called "one of [its] most famous surviving early buildings". Its modest appearance and small size prompted architectural historian Harry Stuart Goodhart-RendelHarry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel was an English architect and writer, also a musician.-Life:He was educated at Eton College, and read music at Trinity College, Cambridge. He worked shortly for Sir Charles Nicholson, and then set up his own architectural practice...
, a former resident of Brighton, to call it "as charming a relic of ... Brighthelmstone [Brighton's former name] as anyone could wish to see". It is a three-storey building with a modern shopfront on the lowest floor, two storeys in residential use above, and a large hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
with dormer windows. The top two floors are laid with black glazed mathematical tile
Mathematical tile
Mathematical tiles are a building material used extensively in the southeastern counties of England—especially East Sussex and Kent—in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were laid on the exterior of timber-framed buildings as an alternative to brickwork, which their appearance closely resembled...
s—often used in the 18th and 19th centuries on buildings in Brighton, and a characteristic feature of the local architecture. The second and third storeys also have canted
Cant (architecture)
Cant is the architectural term describing part, or segment, of a facade which is at an angle to another part of the same facade. The angle breaking the facade is less than a right angle thus enabling a canted facade to be viewed as, and remain, one composition.Canted facades are a typical of, but...
bay window
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s; to the sides and rear (facing an ancient alleyway
Twitten
Twitten is an old Sussex dialect word, used in both East and West Sussex, for a path or alleyway. It is still in common use. The word is also in common use in the London residential area known as Hampstead Garden Suburb....
), original sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s remain. The left dormer window is a casement
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
, while the right has a sash window.