A hidden gem

My last post was about some of the talented artists creating waves today however artwork in Brighton is not all contemporary, as you can also find some stunning pieces by old masters and not just in the art galleries...

Last week a couple of us were invited to visit St Michael & All Angels Church in the Montpelier area of the city. Before I talk about the church itself I have to say that Montpelier & Clifton is a beautiful area of the city, even though it is only a few streets away from the main shopping area it has a tranquil atmosphere. Plus being uphill you do get some fab views across the city and down to the seafront. To find out more why not have a look at the video on our new interactive map (shameless plug!)

Anyway back to the church... It is appropriate that the church has two names as it is actually two churches in one as the original church was not big enough.

But how does this relate to art? Well inside the church are some stunning stained glass windows by pre-Raphaelite artists Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris as well as some by Ford Madox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.


And it's not just the windows, make sure you check the columns as carved into each pillar are figures ranging from musical notes to miniature Indian pavilions. Each carving tells a story as when the church was built a lot of the parishioners would not have been able to read.

So I would definitely recommend a trip up to Clifton Hill for any art lovers.

Charlotte

Talented Brighton

There seem to have been a few Brighton artists hitting the headlines recently. First up was Sarah Pager who has an exhibit at the contemporary art gallery Towner in nearby Eastbourne. Sarah's creation is a chocolate toilet so it is not really surprising to see that it has caught the attention of the media. Although I can't help wondering if the buyer will display it or eat it?

Also in the news this week is Pascal Anson, another Brighton based designer. Pascal's artwork has been used on the first of BA's new aeroplanes to mark London 2012. The winning design is based on a dove as the bird is not only a symbol of peace but was also used in ancient Olympics to send Games reports to outlying villages, in other words the first version of Twitter!

And finally... Also announced this week is the very exciting news that two of the city's top cultural venues will be working together later this year as The Duke of York's Picturehouse will open a three screen cinema upstairs at the Komedia. Sticking with the arty theme of this post, the other news is that local artist Jamie McCartney has been commissioned to sculpt a new pair of legs for the venue in keeping with the iconic pair at the Duke of York's.

Work on the new venue will start in the summer with a view to opening in December 2012. Follow @dukesatkomedia on twitter for all the latest updates.

So all this just goes to prove what talented and creative people we have living & working in Brighton!

Charlotte

A Grand night out

One of our mantras here at VisitBrighton (yes that's right, we have mantras) if not the mantra is: "think like a visitor". It was with this thought in mind that I checked-in to The Grand hotel this weekend. I should point out that I don't actually live in Brighton anymore so this was not quite as frivolous as it sounds!

We had booked a standard room and I was slightly concerned that this might actually mean small, however I needn't have worried. Here is a picture of the room, the one on the left is from my phone camera and the one on the right is the promotional image:


While of course The Grand's image is much better quality, this comparison does show that it is also a true depiction of the room ie they haven't used clever angles to make it look bigger then it is. Of course you can also see that the decor is a little dated but I have to admit I thought it added to the olde world charm of the building which includes uneven hallways.

We all have different ways of measuring the quality of a hotel room but I'll give you a quick rundown of what made it for us. First of all as you can see from the photo the bed was huge so that was already a big tick. There was also the obligatory tea & coffee facilities complete with shortbread biscuits so we can tick that off the list as well. Being a luxury hotel I am pleased to confirm that bathrobes were included; as well as a bidet and rather bizarrely we had not one, but two, iron & ironing boards - I didn't think I looked that rumpled at check-in! Also in the bathroom we were very impressed with the Pecksniffs toiletries which smelt gorgeous. Although there was another added luxury which I wouldn't have thought to put on the list - a heated bathroom mirror so that it doesn't get steamed up while you're in the shower. Impressive eh?

As you must have guessed by now I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at The Grand, I won't wax lyrical for too much longer but I have to add that the breakfast was delicious too, I just wish I'd been staying longer so I could have tried more of it.

So thinking 'like a visitor' I would happily recommend a stay at The Grand for anyone looking for a taste of luxury without breaking the bank.

Charlotte

Turner returns to Brighton

There have been lots of exciting goings on in the Cultural Quarter this month as a couple of weeks ago the Royal Pavilion launched their new exhibition Charlotte, the Forgotten Princess. This fascinating exhibit depicts the life and tragic death of the Prince Regent's daughter. When the princess died in childbirth at just 21, the public reaction was similar to news of Princess Diana's death and yet oddly now she is all but forgotten. As a fellow Charlotte the fact that really interested me was that Princess Charlotte would have become Queen instead of Victoria which would have given us the Charlottian era. Which I think as a certain ring to it!

After learning all about Princess Charlotte take a stroll across the gardens and visit the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery which also has an exciting new piece to view. A Turner watercolour entitled Brighthelmstone will go on display in the museum on Saturday 31st March and this is the first time the painting has been on public display in 100 years.

As you may have guessed by the name, the artwork depicts Brighton from the sea and includes the Royal Pavilion. The painting will be at the museum until 22nd April, then it will become the star attraction at a new exhibition at the Royal Pavilion next year.

So make sure you pop down to the cultural quarter soon to catch these exciting new additions.

Charlotte

February's Flickr winner's blog!

Greetings LoveBrighton blogger readers!

We have announced the winner of February’s Flickr competition, and she has written a fabulous blog for us! The theme for February was ‘I Love You, I LoveBrighton’, and our lucky winner received vouchers to spend at the romantic Riddle & Finns!

Here’s ladolcevita2012's winning photo and what she had to say about it:

"Hi guys,

Now that I have won the competition, this made me very happy for many reasons, not only for the cool prize which I look forward to receive :-) but also because I moved to Brighton recently from Italy (easily understandable by my nickname that I am Italian :-)) and it was love at first sight with this city.

It was the same love with which I looked at Brighton, when I took that picture, and I think that this made it special and the selected picture as a symbol of February as the lovers month.

In my shoot, there were not only the romantic characters of that Sunday afternoon and their hug; I was also there hugging the town, a stranger who was walking around with her eyes full of curiosity and enthusiasm, trying to steal with her camera, moments, smiles, streets and everything that makes this city such a special little gem. I feel at home in Brighton.

I don't need to say more… :-) xxxx"


So remember, if you’ve got great photos of Brighton & Hove, get sharing and start loving: www.flickr.com/groups/lovebrighton

‘till next time,

Siobhan :)

Step into the Garden of Eden

The joy of staying in a hotel with themed rooms is that you can try a different one each time, but when a hotel becomes well established, such as Sea Spray in Kemp Town, it must be difficult keeping the themes fresh. However the good news is that they have recently unveiled a brand new room - The Garden of Eden.


If you have a special anniversary or simply fancy a treat then this is the room to book, it comes complete with its own lounge and even more excitingly a walled garden with a hot tub for two! The owners have anticipated the fact that you won't want to leave the room as breakfast is served to you in the suite's private dining area. Very cosy!

To find out more about Sea Spray go to www.seaspraybrighton.co.uk or check out their video:



Charlotte

From visitor to resident

A year or so ago we launched our Greeter scheme, where enthusiastic residents meet visitors to the city & show them what they love about Brighton & Hove. Each Greet lasts approximately 2 hours and best of all its completely free. It's a great opportunity to get a personal view of the city, and even if you think the know the place you are bound to learn something new.



As with all of our services we ask visitors who do a greet if they have any feedback or suggestions on how we could improve the service. Yesterday we received some feedback that had us all smiling, I won't retype the whole glowing review but here is a little segment:

Chris was excellent and it was great to look around the city with someone who knows so much and in such a relaxed, friendly way. I sent a thank you to Chris, so hope he got it because we really did have a lovely afternoon and will definitely be coming back to Brighton and, as I mentioned, even live there in the future.

Greets can either be pre-booked through the website at www.visitbrighton.com/greeters or you can just turn up and join one of the instagreets which run most weekends and for the whole week from the 10-18th March in celebration of English Tourism Week. To find out if an Instagreet is taking place during your visit either contact us through the website or follow us on Twitter.

We can't guarantee that a Greet will make you want to move to Brighton but we think it's safe to say that you'll have fun, learn something new and discover a new side to the city.

Charlotte