Solitude

Seafront without boats

This was taken further west along Hove seafront than the boat pictures - in the distance through the haze you can just about see Worthing in West Sussex.

Great name for a boat

Inside the markers

Following on from yesterday's post, the beach between the markers looks rather deserted at this time of year.

Boat markers

Yellow posts on Hove beach mark out the area fishing boats are permitted to use; bathers are warned not to swim in this area.

A nice walk along the front

Photograph of Hove seafront by guest blogger Liz.

And now for something completely different

A block of flats on the corner of Langdale Gardens and Kingsway; the building's facade is blocky and rather unattractive, although I like the whimsical roof finials.

Brunswick Square

Some of the most beautiful Regency buildings in Hove are in Brunswick Square, designed by Charles Augustin Busby, and part of the Brunswick Estate. This is the west side of the square.

Looking down the road

Adelaide Crescent

A short walk along Kingsway from the top of Medina Terrace brings you to Adelaide Crescent, designed by Decimus Burton.

Medina Terrace

Medina Terrace is one of the delightful Regency streets in the Cliftonville Conservation Area.

Getting ready to celebrate

Stars and Stripes hanging from one of Hove Manor's balconies.

Keeping watch

One of the signs on yesterday's signpost points to Grand Avenue, a wide thoroughfare running at right angles to the sea. At the seafront end of Grand Avenue, a statue of Queen Victoria gazes sternly out to sea. The statue is by Sir Thomas Brock, who also created the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace in London.

Pointing the way

Signpost, Hove seafront

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

The Gallery Cafe at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has a great view right through one of the ground-floor galleries to the entrance foyer and shop which are flooded with light on a sunny day. The food's pretty good too.

Looking closely

The stretch of Hove beach near where I live is mainly shingle (pebbles) over sand; the stretches of sand are visible above the waterline at low tide. Shingle isn't as comfortable to walk on as sand, but I think the noise of waves on shingle is enchanting.

Low tide

Sunset silhouette

Last night's sunset shot from from my balcony - I like the way several buildings blend together into one rather sinister dark shape at this time of night.

Bare and leafless

One of Hove Street's trees silhouetted against the sky. Last May, the trees got severe haircuts to stop them growing too large; there are before and after pictures on my main blog, Wibbo's Words.

Old and new

I find the mix of old and new buildings in this area fascinating. This is the corner of Connaught Road and Church Road; a block of modern flats (1A Connaught Road) next to a Victorian red-brick terrace of flats with shops on the ground floor.

Glinting

Late afternoon sun lights up the sea and a patch of melted frost on the seafront.

Jack-in-the-box

This is a companion piece to the photo I posted yesterday. I was looking for a different angle to show the building against the sky when a cage of workmen was winched quickly skywards, popping out of the top of the building just like a jack-in-the-box.

Goodbye waterslides

At the end of the same building as yesterday's photo, demolition is going on. The King Alfred Leisure Centre is being shorn of its outdoor flumes (waterslides) which have been closed to the public for several years.

Lost in concentration

The niches along the seaward-facing wall of the King Alfred Leisure Centre are favourite spots to sit and watch the world go by, or in this case, bury your nose in something interesting.

Work in progress

Restoration work on Brighton seafront's Western Bandstand is well under way. The work site is boarded up all the way round, but there are several small viewing windows cut into the boarding so folks can keep an eye on what's happening.

Sea over rooftops

Look at the colour of that sea! You wouldn't think it was the beginning of January; the temperature has just about risen above freezing although it feels warm in the sunshine.

Brrrrrr...

It's very cold; there was a light sprinkling of snow over Princes Avenue this morning.

The Grand, Brighton

The elegant Victorian facade of The Grand, Brighton. This is the hotel that was bombed by the IRA during the Conservative Party Conference in October, 1984.

Sea and sunshine

The first proper sunshine of the year is making the sea sparkle beautifully! I took this shot from my tiny balcony (I have friends with larger coffee tables) - it may be small, but it has a fabulous view right down to Hove seafront.

Brunswick Place

Brunswick Place, part of the Brunswick Estate and a fine example of Regency architecture.

First day of the New Year

I walked down the seafront to Hove Lagoon this morning. As well as the ubiquitous and noisy herring gulls and black-headed gulls on the water, there was a large group of swans and cygnets by the edge of the small lagoon. Swans looks so graceful in the water, but on land they're cumbersome creatures and rather grumpy, squabbling fiercely over morsels of food.