Brighton Station in the 1870s
Our Collections
Royal Pavilion & Museum's collections reflect the history of the railways in the city. Of particular note is the collection of over 2,000 photographs, mostly locomotives that were produced by Ralph Stent. Also notable is Joe Kent’s photographic collection of Pullman carriages.
The Brighton History Centre has Ordnance Survey maps of Brighton dating from the 1870s. They show detailed track layout and the basic ground floor plans of the main railway buildings.
It also has old newspapers which include articles about the railways in Brighton. If your ancestor was unfortunate to be involved in an accident on the railways, the inquest or enquiry was almost always reported.
Aside from the steam railways, Brighton had one of the first electric railways in the world, opened by Magnus Volk in 1883. The route ran along the beach from the entrance of the Chain Pier to a point alongside Madeira Drive. By the following year it had been extended to the Banjo Groyne.
In 1896, Volk opened the Rottingdean Railway which ran along the seashore on tracks from the Banjo Groyne to a pier at Rottingdean. This incredible machine was nicknamed the Daddy-Longlegs as the passenger cabin was perched high above the sea on four legs.
The Daddy-Longlegs Railway closed in 1901. In the following year Volk extended the smaller electric railway to Black Rock. Volk’s Electric Railway is still in operation.
Images of the Volk’s railways and the Stent locomotive photographs are available to view at the Brighton History Centre. Photographic copies of these images can be ordered. Find out more about our image reproduction service.
Further Resources
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