Old Steine
Look up the Old Steine on Brighton & Hove City Council’s directory of Listed Buildings and its importance is immediately clear. Not only is its entry long, it also contains perhaps the City’s two most significant buildings; both Grade I Listed.
Dr Richard Russell played a large role in transforming Brighton from a washed-out fishing village into a Georgian playground. He published famously published his ‘Dissertation Concerning the Use of Sea Water in Diseases of the Glands’ in 1750 and soon afterwards built a house on the south side of what was then simply known as ‘The Steine’. The gentry flocked to Brighton for his seawater cures and The Steine, due to both its location and being flat, was a perfect place for them to stroll. The fishermen, who used it as an area to dry their nets, weren’t too happy though. The Steine became the ‘Old Steine’ when the New Steine was developed to the east in the 1790s.
For a unique view of the Old Steine, be sure to book a place on Southern Water’s enlightening sewer tour. Without giving too much away, the tour’s point of exit is quite a surprise.
