Newspapers 

Brighton History Centre holds copies of a number of different local and regional newspapers from the 19th and 20th centuries including the Brighton Gazette, Brighton Guardian and Herald.

The oldest paper kept in the History Centre is a 1749 edition of the Sussex Weekly Advertiser, published in the reign of George II and there are copies of the Argus going from the very first edition in 1880 up to the present day.

Anyone is welcome to visit the History Centre and view the papers on microfilm readers. You might just want to see what the headlines were on the day you were born, or look for your ancestors in the births, marriages and deaths columns.  You could look for particular historical events to see how the local journalists described Admiral Nelson’s funeral, for example, or how the air raids over Brighton in the Second World War were reported.

Full coverage would have been given to the Mods and Rockers’ battles on the seafront, Abba winning the Eurovision Song Contest at the Dome and the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel.

Browsing through the advertisements of newspapers from a hundred years ago, gives an idea of some of the popular crazes of the time and some rather bizarre and dubious medical remedies.  Or you can see what the latest fashions on sale at Hanningtons department store were like and how much a new winter coat would have cost a century ago. 

Film readers can be booked in advance by phoning the History Centre on 01273 296971.

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