10 facts about Brighton that aren't in the guidebooks

# 10 facts about Brighton that aren't in the guidebooks

Brighton cannot be understood in one afternoon. It is a city of layers: a fishing village, a royal seaside resort and a city that learned to open its doors to everyone. 😊 These ten facts are the ones a local guide would tell you along the way, between one stop and the next.

  1. Brighton has not always been called that. The fishing village the city grew from was called Brighthelmstone. In The Lanes you can still see its narrow streets, the ones from the old village.
  1. The nets dried right in the centre. Old Steine is now a green in the heart of Brighton. Long ago, the fishermen dried their nets there. The Victoria Fountain, a classic meeting point, stands right beside it.
  1. A palace from India, on the English coast. The Royal Pavilion was George IV's summer palace. It has onion domes and an Indian look, but it stands in England. John Nash designed it, and it was completed in 1823. Around 400,000 people visit it every year.
  1. Stables that are now a concert hall. The royal stables stood next to the palace. Today that building is a concert hall.
  1. The beach is made of stones, not sand. In Brighton, the beach is shingle: stones, not sand. The seafront promenade runs right along them, beside the sea.
  1. The world's oldest electric railway. Volk's Electric Railway runs along the seafront. It is the world's oldest electric railway. It travels right beside the sea, between the pebbles and the promenade.
  1. Two piers, two fates. Brighton Palace Pier, from 1899, is still full of rides and lights. The West Pier is not: only its ruins remain, standing in the water. You can see both on a single walk.
  1. Pride began with twenty people. Brighton's Pride parade started as a march of twenty people. Today it is the UK's biggest Pride. In 2024, around 300,000 people followed the parade. The 2018 weekend alone left £20.5 million in the city.
  1. One in ten people. In the 2021 census, around 1 in 10 residents over the age of 16 identified as LGB or another sexual orientation. It is the highest percentage in the UK. It is a city of welcome: that is why its Pride is so big.
  1. 12.2 million trips in one year. In 2024, Brighton received 12.2 million trips: 10.5 million day trips and 1.7 million overnight stays. Visitors spent £979 million directly. Tourism supports 25,678 jobs, close to 18% of the city's employment.

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