It’s perhaps the reason you find so many mental health retreats and addiction counselling centres by the sea. It naturally lends itself to the calm needed to focus on our mind. That said, when it comes to Brighton, the seaside can often come with hustle and bustle, whether it be meandering through The Lanes or the pubs and bars as the evening draws in.

For people looking for a bit of sanctuary, that perhaps isn’t what they want. However, there are also lots of more peaceful spots in Brighton too where you can enjoy that bit of relaxation and escape from the stresses of daily life…

The Royal Pavilion Gardens

In some cases you don’t even have to leave the city centre. The Royal Pavilion Gardens is in the heart of the city and provides a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle. Surrounded by lush greenery, there are so many quiet spots to just sit and contemplate.

What’s more, it’s ideal for a picnic during the summer months, although it’s worth noting it can also get very busy. For a quick break from the city though, there are few better options.

Stanmer Park

Escaping the city, Stanmer Park is just a short distance out and has plenty of green space to get completely lost in. With expansive woodlands, meandering trails and tranquil lakes, the park provides plenty of spaces for contemplation to sit in silence and enjoy the fresh air and sounds of nature.

Whether you want to explore on foot or get out on a bicycle, there are so many options for finding peace in the park.

The Brighton Palace Pier at Sunrise

While Brighton’s iconic Palace Pier may be bustling with activity during the day, there’s a magical serenity to be found in the early hours of the morning.

Get yourself out of bed early and head to the pier to watch the sun rise over the sea. The sounds of the waves lapping against the pebbles and the cold breeze on your face is an incredibly tranquil experience that can really set you up for the day.

Hove Lawns

Stretching along the seafront from Brighton to Hove, the Lawns are a picturesque green space that many people who have visited Brighton before will be familiar with. Ideal for a stroll or a picnic with friends, the Hove Lawns are an optimum spot for relaxation, looking out to sea and reconnecting with nature.

Preston Park

Finally, just north of the city centre, Preston Park is a large park that has sprawling lawns, tranquil ponds and is a spot many people visit during the summer months to sit back and chill out.

There’s tons of flora and fauna to marvel at, while perching against a tree and pulling out a good book is the ultimate way to spend a few hours.

The post The five most peaceful spots in Brighton appeared first on We Love Brighton.

Here you can find a range of antique treasures, old porcelain faced dolls with hand-sewn garments and their evolution from delicate China dolls to Barbie, different types of puppets, miniature versions of worlds, vintage video games, old storybooks and many more.

The museum is situated under the Victorian arches supporting Brighton’s railway station (a perfect distance if you’re visiting for the day) and has a magical feel when you step into its almost secret doors. For the collectors among us, manufacturers such as Bing, Hornby, Meccano and Steiff have period pieces on display. Moreover, you’ll find individually engineered Spitfire fighter planes amongst many more throughout the museum.

If you just fancy a brief visit, or to get a taste of Brighton on the way into town, the entrance to the first arch is free. It includes within it a Railway platform style Museum Shop with small trinkets and gifts on sale, along with World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings ranges for the slightly older kids. Within the first Arch there is also a Visitor information point, presenting maps and help to those visiting Brighton along with beautiful Victorian toys (my favourite was the Meccano Ferris wheel, just don’t let any youngsters clamber into it!).

If you have any spare toys which you cant quite give to a charity shop, the Brighton Toy Museum is the perfect place for them to continue to be loved past the younger years of a child’s life (before it gets all Justin Bieber and Call of Duty). The museum, with the owners agreement, put on sale the toys which are a bit too special to give away and ensure that they go on to good homes.

If you’d like to explore the rest of the museum it is open daily from 10am-5pm with an early open and close time on the weekend from 9:30am-6pm. Adult tickets can be purchased for £10 and tickets for children under 12 are £6. If you are planning to visit as a family (2 adults + 2 children) a family ticket is £28. Tickets can be booked online to guarantee entry when you visit.

What’s more, the museum is wheelchair accessible offering a ramp for entry, elevators and accessible toilets. Audio guides are available for visitors with visual or hearing impairments. The museum also often hosts educational workshops, special events, and interactive programs for both children and adults.
 
Website: https://www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk/
///

The post Brighton Toy And Model Museum appeared first on We Love Brighton.

People-watching on the streets of Brighton is a testament to the city’s commitment to style and passion for all things unique. Bargain hunters and vintage lovers alike come from far and wide, enticed by Brighton’s world famous streets, crammed with independent shops, vintage boutiques and street markets. Hidden away from the main throng of shops, the North Laine Antique and Flea Market is a secret paradise for the savvy shopper.
Tucked inside a small house on Upper Gardner Street, with a sign outside inviting customers to ‘please browse’, this modest looking building disguises the Aladdin’s cave of vintage treats that lies within. The shelves are crammed with interesting trinkets: furniture, second-hand books, kitsch clothing and old photographs. There are items to suit a range of budgets and as a lesser known market you can often get a better deal than in some of the more popular markets and vintage shops.
Like all great second-hand emporiums, the joy is not just in getting something new, it’s in the search – you could easily spend a whole afternoon exploring the eclectic treasures on offer. Don’t forget to visit regularly: their stock is constantly being updated, and you’re guaranteed not to see the same item twice!

The post The North Laine Antique and Flea Market appeared first on We Love Brighton.

Number 33 Palmeira Mansions truly is a hidden gem. The Grade II listed building is a language school by day, but concealed inside is a lavish interior of marble, stained glass, and Victorian finery.
The Mansion blocks were built in the 1880s in Italianate style by Jabez Reynolds Senior, the developer behind many of Brighton’s famous buildings including the Grade II listed Norfolk Hotel (now the Mercure) and St Martin’s Church. Number 33 was bought in 1889 by a recently-widowed Arthur William Mason, who moved in with his young daughter. Using the family fortune, Mason channeled his flair for interior design, refurbishing the house with an eclectic mix of exotic features: elaborate fire places, mahogany doors, intricately decorated wallpaper, marble staircases and a Moorish ceiling.
Outliving his second wife and marrying again in his seventies, Mason died in 1940, but surprisingly much of the original interior he created has survived. One of his paintings, ‘Dante in Exile’ was bought at auction by Andrew Lloyd-Webber for a record-breaking £1,000,000 in the 90s. The house isn’t always open to the public, but tours take place at 11am on the first Sunday of each month. There are also tours each May as part of the Brighton Fringe, and private tours can be arranged: after 3pm on weekdays, or throughout the weekend. Discover this little-known apartment fit for a King, hidden in Hove.

The post Number 33 Palmeira Mansions appeared first on We Love Brighton.

Nestled in the heart of Hove, the West Blatchington Windmill was built in the 1820s to produce flour and animal food for the local farm. It is called a ‘smock’ windmill, as its silhouette resembles the smocks worn by millers and shepherds at the time it was built. This type of windmill normally has eight sides, but the West Blatchington mill only has six, making it unique in the world of windmills! It   was painted in 1823 by English Romantic painter John Constable and is now Grade II listed.
Ideal for family days out, the mill has a wonderful museum bursting with early maps and photographs, as well as information on village life in the 1800s and the local manor house which was demolished in 1955. The original mill operating system is still in place over five floors and visitors have the chance to explore and learn how to turn grain into flour. Take a journey back in time to a fascinating era of Brighton’s agricultural history.

The post West Blatchington Windmill appeared first on We Love Brighton.

Tucked away down a narrow, lemon-coloured pathway off Middle Street sits The Twisted Lemon – one of Brighton’s most loved cocktail bars, for those in the know. The hidden hotspot serves amazing drinks: from classic cocktails, to delightful Willy Wonka-style inventions at affordable prices. The building was originally a fisherman’s cottage, is over 500 years old and bursting with character and charm. The name is a nod to the bar that came before it The Blind Lemon Alley, a Brighton institution with a huge reputation, and The Twisted Lemon has certainly lived up to the name. Voted ‘Best Cocktail Bar’ at the 2014 Brighton & Hove Food and Drink Awards, they are known for a laid-back atmosphere and passionate staff. With an inviting interior and intimate garden for sunny evenings, The Twisted Lemon is a firm Brighton favourite all year round – once you’ve found it you will definitely be going back!

The post The Twisted Lemon appeared first on We Love Brighton.

Visit the Mechanical Memories Museum on Brighton Seafront and go back in time to the age of donkey rides, Punch and Judy and novelty arcades machines.
Mechanical Memories is a ‘working museum’ of vintage coin-operated amusement machines representative of seaside amusement arcades of half a century ago. The museum features favourites such as ‘What the Butler Saw’, ‘The Laughing Sailor’, working models, puppet machines, skill games, fortune tellers, and the most popular arcade machines of all time – the allwins.
The machine in the museum all work as they were intended, on big old pre-decimal pennies. Older visitors love to see and use these old pennies again, and children are amazed at just how big they are! Old pennies to play the machines can be bought at the museum for a moderate price.
[googlemap width=”615″ height=”200″ src=”https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Mechanical+Memories+Amusement+Museum,+Brighton&hl=en&ll=50.820279,-0.136578&spn=0.008188,0.019269&sll=50.831082,-0.181189&sspn=0.008186,0.019269&oq=Mechanical+Memories+Amusement+Museum&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A”]

The post Mechanical Memories Museum appeared first on We Love Brighton.

The Old Police Cells Museum for Sussex Police is housed in the basement of Brighton Town Hall. It offers visitors a unique insight into the history of Sussex Police.
This free museum provides an opportunity to visit Brighton Borough main police station for the period 1830 – 1967 and learn about the murder of Chief Constable Henry Solomon in 1844 by a prisoner. See some of the old cells with their graffiti from the Mods and Rockers era, the policeman’s wash room and uniform store areas, police memorabilia and artefacts.
The museum also houses a unique collection of truncheons and tipstaves, one of the largest in the country.This collection was made by Alderman caffyn throughout his lifetime and is on permanent loan to the museum from the Sussex police authority.
 
[one_half last=”no”][googlemap width=”615″ height=”200″ src=”https://www.google.com/maps?q=The+Old+Police+Cells+Museum+brighton&hl=es&ll=50.820889,-0.140526&spn=0.010343,0.029633&sll=50.816855,-0.136738&sspn=0.010344,0.029633&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A”][/one_half]
 
 
 
 
 
///

The post The Old Police Cells Museum appeared first on We Love Brighton.

This tiny but sophisticated first floor cocktail bar is hidden away next to The Theatre Royal and above El Mexicano restaurant. It’s hidden above New Road and it’s easy to miss it’s unassuming entrance.
Just one room serves an intricate and extensive menu of drinks. The balcony overlooking the Pavilion Gardens means you can sit out on a balmy summer’s evening and people watch to your hearts content drink in hand. Prices for cocktails are the Brighton standard £6.50 with a long running 241 deal that makes this well kept secret a surprisingly affordable affair.
 
[one_half last=”no”][googlemap width=”615″ height=”200″ src=”https://www.google.com/maps?q=7A+New+Road,+Brighton,+Reino+Unido&hl=es&ll=50.822801,-0.139647&spn=0.010831,0.029633&sll=50.822082,-0.140784&sspn=0.010343,0.029633&oq=7A+new+road++brighton&hnear=7+New+Rd,+Brighton+BN1+1UF,+Reino+Unido&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A”][/one_half]
 
 
 
 
 
///

The post Valentino Brighton appeared first on We Love Brighton.