Places in Brighton that are a mystery to you

[desprateseagull]

pic on twitter, of tunnel supposedly from pavilion to the Dome..


www.twitter.com/captainbonobo/status/218395908059045889/photo/1

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Not quite Brighton, but I assume everyone knows about the secret government bunker in Southwick Tunnel ? I suppose if everyone knew about it, it wouldn't be secret, but there you go - that's what people call it.

 

[desprateseagull]

I was tracing telephone cables in the tunnels under the pavilion in the 80's. Got completely lost, went through a door and found myself in the Dome cloakroom.
I also mended the phone in the manager's flat in the Astoria and it's mahoosive, stretches all the way across the front.

blimey, that's a big phone!

 

[desprateseagull]

For me its the humungous detached houses with grounds in Preston Road by the bottom of the turn off to Preston Park station. Thery're patently not somebody's house. Don't even seem to be huge sets of flats. They do seem to maybe be Council-run secure units of some kind. No idea what tho. You hardly ever see anybody going in and out of them. Very weird.

3 maybe 4 buildings, all flats i think. nothing special. did a couple of pizza deliveries there, a few years back.

 

[desprateseagull]

Not quite Brighton, but I assume everyone knows about the secret government bunker in Southwick Tunnel ? I suppose if everyone knew about it, it wouldn't be secret, but there you go - that's what people call it.

yep, tunnel was 'closed' for extra work shortly after it first opened, when top-secret papers blew out of the vents... lololol

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

3 maybe 4 buildings, all flats i think. nothing special. did a couple of pizza deliveries there, a few years back.

Ah, OK, cheers. A bit odd that you never see anybody go in or out tho, especially not pizza delivery blokes...

 

[desprateseagull]

only one entrance, i think- opposite what was the Rover car dealership.

 

[Gwylan]

For me its the humungous detached houses with grounds in Preston Road by the bottom of the turn off to Preston Park station. Thery're patently not somebody's house. Don't even seem to be huge sets of flats. They do seem to maybe be Council-run secure units of some kind. No idea what tho. You hardly ever see anybody going in and out of them. Very weird.

I know what two of them are - and I've been in them several times.

I don't think these are a big secret as there are nameplates up. They're council offices but not secure homes - it's where the fostering and adoption services (and I think child protection are there too). When were going through the adoption process we had to attend a lot of meetings there and they have parties for adopted and fostered kids a couple of times a year.

I think that one of them was a secure home about 10 years ago but things have moved on since then.

 

[house your seagull]

When I was a kid I used to go to a council run kids club called Tarnerland on Sussex Street.

There was a strange turret type building there with a locked door. It didn't fit in with the rest of the place.

Anyone know what it was there for?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

When I was a kid I used to go to a council run kids club called Tarnerland on Sussex Street.

There was a strange turret type building there with a locked door. It didn't fit in with the rest of the place.

Anyone know what it was there for?

Tarner Park

Formerly the gardens of St John's Lodge

The site of Tarner Park was formerly the gardens to St John's Lodge, a large three storey house built by Edward Tilbury which was later occupied by his daughter - Letitia Tilbury who married a merchant - Edwin Adolphus Tarner. The house and land continued in the ownership of the Tarner family until the 1930's. Although Edwin and Letitia had eight children, only three survived into the 20th century, and by the 1930's the remaining child - Letitia-Tilbury Tarner now in her late 80's - disposed of the house and land.


Grade II listed folly
The main built feature of heritage interest in the Park is the Grade II listed folly and attached walls at the top of the park. Of additional interest is a figurehead carved into the wall above a blocked up archway which led into the upper garden, now Tarnerland Nursery. Significant confusion has arisen regarding the Tower's purpose. The folly in Tarner Park, now commonly known as Tarner Tower, was built by Edward Tilbury in the early 1800's at the time of initial layout of the garden. A badly vandalised plaque to this effect remains just legible inside the lower floor of the tower.

An air-raid shelter in WWII
Tarner Park under council ownership has continued to provide an open space for young people since its acquisition. During the Second World War an air raid shelter was placed in the park, and after the war play features - slides & swings etc... were added. The folly at this time was used as a park keeper's store, and local anecdote recalls the park keeper stationing himself on the viewing platform to better observe behaviour and maintain order.

http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__9232.aspx

 

[Max Paper]

Skipping all the pages, underground bunker in the Southwick Tunnel?

 

[Gullys Cats]

The west pier.......its never open

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Skipping all the pages, underground bunker in the Southwick Tunnel?

I love this rumour. Completely untrue, of course.

 

[Max Paper]

I love this rumour. Completely untrue, of course.

A mate of mine, a locksmith, claims he's been in there (i've known him all my life)

 

[Worthing exile]

I love this rumour. Completely untrue, of course.

Are you sure ? They always close both tunnels for regular maintenance rather than contraflow through one. And there are all those doors.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I love this rumour. Completely untrue, of course.

Sounds like you know, but are trying to dispel it.

 

[fork me]

isnt that the road between west st / middle street, behind the hotel at bottom..?

south street, brighton uk - Google Maps

The original South Street is gone, I don't know if the current South Street is a tiny remaining part of it, or a road named after the old one disappeared under the sea.

 

[See-Goals]

Tremendous thread.

I rented a flat in Sussex Square 7 years ago so had a key to the gardens and to the tunnel leading to the under cliff. Not very exciting, but a good shortcut to avoiding the main road to reach the beach. I did enjoy deliberately timing my emergence from the pitch black tunnel through the iron barred door in order to scare the shit out of a jogger or dog walker.

Not Brighton but spent many hours in the abandoned military fort on the cliffs of Peacehaven as a kid. Fascinating place still full of old mess tins and furniture. You can see the underground tunnels through the drain covers, the access to them has been bricked up. You can squeeze in to the old store house which is dark and lined with empty shelves. At least I could when I was 10.

 

[fork me]

what you discovered is hms King Alfred a second world war navy midshipmans training school,
there are tunnels under the road that lead to some of the big houses beside hove lawns ,so the sailors dident have to walk outside to get from their billets to the training center, also if you go to the first road beside hove lawns and look up you will see the badge of the submarine service carved into the top.
there is loads of documents plans ect in hove library. I did some research on this when i was younger .
if your interested http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__7440.aspx

I knew about the HMS King Alfred, but some interesting stuff there.

I like this picture:

I've been up on the roof as well. On the left of the picture is a sturcture on the roof, that's actually the top of the lift in the ballroom. There is a button marked "roof" which doesn't work unless you have a key, that's where it brings you. In the centre at the front is a larger white structure. That's actually a decent sized flat, I have no idea who used to live there, but while I was working at the King Alfred it was used as a staff area and was still fully furnished.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Sounds like you know, but are trying to dispel it.

All I will say is that I used to work with a bunch of highway engineers, who knew a lot about the Southwick Tunnel.