When I go to Europe I usually fly through the UK. I like to spend time in London before EasyJetting to Europe. Unfortunately, it is often NotsoEasyjetting now as flight delays and cancellations mean last minute plan adjustments. I always land in Gatwick, groggy or buzzing high on caffeine after a sleepless night, and immediately jump on the train to London. This time it was different. Instead, I stayed overnight in Horley and took the train from Gatwick airport to Brighton for the day. A 30-minute train ride from Gatwick, Brighton shines bright on a sunny day, so if you have just one day in Brighton here is route that might fit the bill.

It was a hot and sunny one, this day in May. It was also a bank holiday weekend which dampened things a bit. England has a large population for its small size and coming from vast, mostly empty Canada, where one can escape to its emptiness on a holiday long weekend, I was glad I arrived early.

Following the signs and exiting the station on Trafalgar Street puts you in Brighton’s street art scene. I love looking at street art when I travel, everything from giant murals by seminal artists, such as in London’s Shoreditch area, to iconic displays such as the John Lennon Wall in Prague and the Berlin wall in, appropriately, Berlin. On a smaller scale, Brighton has its own share of interesting street art. As I stepped out of the station, the Rock ‘n Roll mural on the side of the Prince Albert Pub at the corner of Trafalgar Street and Frederick Place welcomed me. Embedded in it, in the bottom row, is Banksy’s Kissing Coppers. It sits between Steve (Roadie) Jones, a sound engineer at the pub for 20 years who died suddenly in 2022 and Aretha Franklin who needs no introduction. Although they look genuine, these kissing policemen are, in fact, fake. The real romantic pair, which was unveiled on the Prince Albert Pub in 2004, became the subject of homophobic vandalism, so the poor, damaged policemen ran off to continue their affair on a canvas. The pub owner had them removed, transferred to canvas and later sold them at auction in Miami, Florida. A reproduction was put in their place in 2008.

Street art and graffiti line many streets in Brighton but since I only had the day, I worked my way east along Trafalgar Street and then south down Trafalgar Lane. There are many eye catching installations to keep you company.

If you turn right off Trafalgar Street, Trafalgar Lane takes you to the North Laine bazaar area. On this Saturday morning, stalls selling vintage clothing, handmade jewellery and crafts lined the streets and browsing the stalls and poking through the many consignment and antique shops consumed a couple of hours. As a seaside resort, beachwear is also everywhere and, unlike most of the year here, today it just seemed right.

I saw no need to purchase any vintage clothing because, as I am vintage myself, I didn’t need anything to remind me of, or further advertise, my old-ness. Instead, I kept walking east then south down Regent Street or Jubilee Street (can’t remember which) to the Royal Pavilion. The construction of the Royal Pavilion began in 1787 for Prince George who later became King George IV in 1820. It was built as, what we in Canada might call, his “summer cottage” although I suspect we are talking slightly different scales here 😲. As I looked at it, I decided he must have secretly wished he lived in India.

Anyway, Queen Victoria evidently wasn’t as enamoured with architect John Nash’s Indo-Saracenic Revival attempt as George was, and she must have found the amusement park rides caused her crown to fall off 🙃 so she moved the royal seaside retreat to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. In 1850, she put the onion-domed summer cottage on the market and sold it to the City of Brighton for the grand sum of £50,000.

The Royal Pavilion gardens have been restored and recreated with curving paths lined with fragrant shrubs introduced before 1825 and with beds of flowers closer to the pavilion. It is a little oasis on a busy bank holiday weekend and I spent some time in the shade listening to the live music and people-watching before heading into the museum.

On the grounds, the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery had an exhibition of Brighton-based photojournalist Roger Bamber (1944-2022). The exhibition of unique and engaging images of ordinary moments, aptly titled Out of the Ordinary, captured my interest for the rest of the morning. To get to the exhibition I had to walk through the permanent 20th century art and design collection at the museum. An interesting and varied collection, it includes bits of my parents’ living room and kitchen, just another reminder of my vintageness.

At noon, I found lunch at a café beside the royal pavilion then headed southeast to Old Stein and down to the pier. It was 28℃ now so time to find the sea.

Brighton was beginning to fill up as the late risers appeared. I walked out to the end of the Palace Pier to take in the views and watch the carnival seekers. West of Palace Pier sits the old original pier, suitably called the West Pier. Built of cast iron, it opened in 1866, about 15 years after Queen Victoria flogged King George’s seaside retreat to the town. By 1880, it had glass screens, a bandstand, steamer landing spots and a pierhead pavilion, and by 1916, a concert hall. In 2003, two separate arson attacks set first the pier and then the Victorian concert hall ablaze 🤔 👻. The skeletal remains of the pier remind us of its past glory and provide many a photo opportunity of what is now described as “desolate beauty”.

By the time I reached the West Pier it was about time to begin working my way back to the railway station. Crossing King’s Road (the main road along the beach) I walked east then up through the Churchill shopping area, stopping briefly for a drink before taking Queen’s Road north. It takes you directly back to the railway station in about 15 minutes but I detoured back through the North Laine bazaar area and was waiting for the train by 5:00 pm. A full day.

It was a lazy, summer outing with a nice mix of history, art, music in the park, bazaar browsing, buying nothing and baking on the beach. So if the weather is good and you find yourself at Gatwick Airport with a long layover, or your EasyJet is no longer easy, or if you just feel like a seaside escape from London, consider brilliant Brighton for a day. It will put a smile on your face.