Destination: Brighton
Recorded as the tiny fishing village of Brithelmeston in the Domesday Book, Brighton seems to have slipped unnoticed through history until the mid-eighteenth-century sea-bathing trend established it as a resort that has never looked back since.
The fad received royal approval in the 1780s when the decadent Prince of Wales (the future George IV) began patronizing the town in the company of his mistress, thus setting a precedent for the "dirty weekend", Brighton's major contribution to the English collective consciousness. Trying to shake off this blowsy reputation, Brighton now highlights its Georgian charm, its upmarket shops and classy restaurants, and its thriving conference industry. Yet, however much it tries to present itself as a comfortable middle-class town, the essence of Brighton's appeal is its faintly bohemian vitality, a buzz that comes from a mix of English holiday-makers, thousands of young foreign students from the town's innumerable language schools, a thriving gay community and an energetic local student population from the art college and two universities.
Any visit to Brighton inevitably begins with a visit to its two most famous landmarks – the exuberant Royal Pavilion and the wonderfully tacky Palace Pier, a few minutes away – followed by a stroll along the seafront promenade or the pebbly beach. Just as interesting, though, is an exploration of Brighton's car-free Lanes, where some of the town's diverse restaurants, bars and tiny bric-a-brac, jewellery and antique shops can be found, or a meander through the quaint, but more bohemian streets of North Laine.
Tucked between the Pavilion and the seafront is a warren of narrow, pedestrianised thoroughfares known as the Lanes – the core of the old fishing village from which Brighton evolved. Long-established antiques shops, designer outlets and several bars, pubs and restaurants generate a lively and intimate atmosphere in this part of town.
North Laine, which spreads north of North Street along Kensington, Sydney, Gardner and Bond streets, is more bohemian than the Lanes, with its hub along pedestrianised Kensington Gardens. Here the eclectic shops, selling secondhand records, clothes, bric-a-brac and New Age objects, mingle with earthy coffee shops and funky cafés.
Off North Road on Jubilee Street, the Jubilee Library, opened in 2005, has already become an icon of Brighton's new metropolitan image. The generous glass front complemented by blue ceramic tiling gives access to its lofty interior, in which modern sculptures mingle with state-of-the-art technology, including free Internet points.
Much of Brighton's seafront is an ugly mix of shops, entertainment complexes and hotels such as the impressively pompous Grand Hotel. To soak up the tackier side of Brighton, take a stroll along Brighton Pier, completed in 1899, whose every inch is devoted to cacophonous fun and money-making.
In Brighton's northern suburbs, the Booth Museum of Natural History, a mile up Dyke Road from the centre of town, is worth seeking out – a wonderfully fusty old Victorian museum with beetles, butterflies and animal skeletons galore, as well as some imaginative temporary exhibitions.
For more information on Brighton, visit Rough Guides.