King’s House
A grand plan was drawn up by Sir James Knowles in 1871 for farming land to the west of Adelaide Crescent. The roads were laid out to his designs and named in the American style; First, Second, Grand, Third and Fourth Avenues (from east to west). Of the many buildings in his original drawings, just one has survived to this day.
King’s House was constructed as seven large terraced mansion blocks in 1872 in the Italianate style and later became the Prince’s Hotel, owned by a Mr Prince. There was central heating in every bedroom and it was known to be one of the best hotels around. Giant tanks underneath the nearby lawns provided seawater for the baths. It was commandeered by the Royal Navy in 1942 and became H.M.S. Lizard until Seeboard made the building its headquarters in 1947. It became Grade II Listed in 1974 and was then sympathetically extended to the north in 1981 to the designs of architect Fitzroy Robinson Miller Bourne. Brighton & Hove City Council took up residence in 1996 and named the building King’s House.
The building is now meticulously maintained which is an excellent illustration of how a responsible council should act in setting an example. So, why was a building, built on Queen’s Gardens and used by a Mr Prince, named King’s House? That, I’m afraid, remains a mystery.
