Victorian Housing 

1837 - 1901AD

From the 1840s the importance of land ownership declined as it became easier to make money through business or industry. As a result Hove's large farming estates were sold for development. Hove rapidly grew into a Victorian new town with three major housing developments.

Between 1830 and 1870 the grand terraced houses of Adelaide Crescent and Palmeira Square were built. Designed for the wealthy upper classes, these houses had built in servant's quarters for domestic staff.

From the 1850s more modest villas were built on the land east of Hove Street. Known as Cliftonville, this new estate was well served by good sewers, fresh water and gas. These houses were built for the Victorian middle and upper middle classes with a taste for healthy seaside living.

Work on the West Brighton Estate between Brunswick Town and Cliftonville began in the 1870s. According to the Brighton Gazette the houses were 'decorated with taste and at great cost' and were ideal for wealthy gentlemen and their families.

Between 1841 and 1861 the population of Hove doubled every decade. Its residents were mainly middle class, many settling from London or the colonies. Houses for the working class only began to be built in the 1870s. Concentrated around Hove Station and Portland Road, these houses were overcrowded. They had poor sanitation and cases of small pox and typhoid were common. 

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