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St. James's Street was originally a farm track between the fields east of Brighton. It grew up in the 1790s as the town expanded and soon bustled with 130 businesses including saddlers, corset makers, book, brush and shoemakers, tea dealers and a fashioner of straw bonnets. One visitor likened it to London's fashionable Bond Street.

Today it is the only major shopping street in the town not to have been widened. An idea of its former splendour can be gained by looking above the modern shop fronts.

Walk on the right-hand (North) side of St.James's Street and look across at former farm cottage no.90 (on the corner of Camelford Street); and 102 (currently a fish shop) which retains its original Georgian shopfront with small panes, a bow and Ionic columns. Note also bow-fronted nos.107-111 (on the corner of Madeira Place); no.s 116-118 (on the corner of Charles Street).

BROADENING THE FIELD

Roads from St.James's Street to the sea follow the ancient pattern of the fields they were built on. Land was divided into 7ft wide strips called paulpieces, and the width of the streets built on them depended on how many of them a developer was prepared to buy. Thus, Camelford Street is narrow with tall tradesmen's houses, while New Steine is wide, with a central garden and larger terraces to attract wealthier visitors.

MATHEMATICAL SOLUTION

Mathematical tiles were overlapping wedge-shaped tiles (see illustration left), which avoided a tax on bricks. As Brighton expanded rapidly, many buildings were put up cheaply using timber frames, then covered with the tiles to make them look like fashionable brick. The tiles were also used to update old buildings and as protection from the elements.

More than 150 buildings in Brighton have them in cream, glazed black and red - but they can be hard to spot because they were usually intended to deceive. Often they have been covered with layers of paint over the years making them still more deceptive. The black glazed variety are thought to be unique to Brighton. Examples are at no.14 Broad Street, 1 George Street (restored in 1994), 120-121 St, James's Street and no.10 Manchester Street (currently The Golden Girl cafe)

(JUST PAST SAFEWAY, TURN RIGHT INTO ST.JAMES'S PLACE)

OUT OF PLACE

At first sight the six houses in St.James's Place, built between 1790 and 1800, seem enormous for such a tiny passage or "twittern". But if you look at their sides, you will see they are only one room deep. They are thought to have been built in connection with the Royal Pavilion. Notice the grand entrances, right, with beautiful columns and Georgian fanlights.

(RETURN TO ST.JAMES'S STREET AND CONTINUE TO THE END, NOTING ORNATE, RED-BRICK 126-127 (CURRENTLY NOBLES) AND FINALLY ELEGANT 129 AND 130. AS YOU APPROACH THE STEINE YOU CAN SEE MRS FITZHERBERT'S HOUSE STRAIGHT IN FRONT- NOW THE YMCA)

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