My current work in progress is set in Brighton, England (plus London) so I've
been busy collecting useful and hopefully usable information.
The area, generally, had several encampments
dating to around 3500 AD. "Brighthelmstone" existed before the
Doomsday Book was written - that's 1086 folks! Here’s a photo of the page
written in Medieval Latin and some non-Latin abbreviations. Me? I can’t make
out a single word. I just find it interesting.
The Regency and Victorian period were a dazzling
time for Brighton. The Prince Regent was known for his love of the area and
spent much time there. However it wasn't until 1841 when the London and Brighton Railway made its first run between the two cities that
things really took off. The railroad made the “day trip” possible for a mere
three and six pence.
The Royal Pavilion is one of the most fascinating buildings in Brighton,
which George began building in 1787. At a young age, George suffered from gout
(all that rich food) and his doctor recommended he take the seawaters as
treatment. The pavilion was a work in progress, extending through three major
renovations but the first portion, called the Marine Pavilion, included a
fantastic “Great Dome.”
George was partial to the French style which he used at Carlton
House, employing French decorators, draughtsmen and craftsmen. “Something of
this French influence was to manifest itself in the Prince’s new pavilion. On
the ground floor of the north wing the Library was “fitted up in the French
style” with a paper of brilliant yellow. The “Eating Room” adjoining was
painted in yellow and maroon with a ceiling of sky-blue, and in it were four columns
of “scagliola” – imitation marble. The corridors were painted “French blue”.
The walls of the staircase were bright green, and the ceiling grey and white.”
Not everyone loved the Royal Pavilion. One critic, Anthony
Pasquin, said, “The room in which the Prince usually dines may be compared to a
sort of oven; when the fire is lighted the Inmates are nearly baked or encrusted.”
Years later, John Nash, completed additional enhancements to the
Pavilion. The look of the structure is one that reflects Indian touches,
including battlements and eaves of the Indian chujahs design. The last portions were completed in 1821 which
including a new north face and the development of the King’s private apartments.
About the time the Pavilion was completed, there was talk of a
railway between London and Brighton. During the 1830’s there were several
steam-driven coaches and omnibuses running short distances but in 1833 a
fourteen-seater Hancock coach began running between the two cities in eight and
a half hours. An improvement but nothing like the efficiency the rail would
bring. The approve was novel and appealing but was limited by the number of
passengers it could haul along with the coal and water needed to power the
coaches.
Finally, in 1840, the Shoreham branch of the railway was operational.
It wasn't until the following September, 1841, that the main line opened. The
rail was dependent on the Ouse viaduct being completed. At the same time the
Merstham and Balcombe tunnels were finished, completing the most difficult part
of the line. The project took three years and 2,000,000 pounds to complete.
The Ouse viaduct was designed by the architect David Mocatta. It
is considered one of the finest examples of railroad architecture. The viaduct
included “thirty-seven tall arches and eight charming Italiante pavilions, four
at each end of the viaduct, and the delightful stone balustrades.”
The first voyage began at 7:00 a.m., with nearly the entire
population of Brighton there to watch, and the train arrived in London a little
after nine. One hour and fifteen minutes (or longer depending upon the class of
train – first class, mixed and “Parliamentary” trains.) Quite a change from the
days of horse and carriage.
Both the pavilion and the railway are important to my heroine in
1841. Imogene, a child of the streets, is an observer of London, growing and
changing with the times.
So what have I been doing?
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Imogene falls in love with Jack, knowing they will never be together. But he is fun and he is willing to pay her well for a few months of her time. Needless to say she is left heartbroken.
The setting in the first part of the novel is London but the second part is set in Brighton so I'm getting to know the town and its amazing Royal Pavilion, Chain Pier and other locales. Plus the Brighton and London Railway.
