and this image sums the place up
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I think I must come to the defense of Brighton particularly as I am at a point in life where I am beginning to think of moving from my present address (Mid-Sussex) to...well I 'm not sure. Writing down the pros and cons of any of the choices - West Country, Kent, Kenmare (my personal favourite but Mrs B-o-D has put her foot down on that one!) - I found that what I really wanted was reasonably easy access to London (although I may not visit that often), theatre, cinema and the concert hall.
Bath offers most of those things but a concert hall?
Bournemouth has no theatre.
Kent - very little in the way of theatre, apart from Canterbury and that's a step too far from London.
Brighton has the lot (and a great secondhand bookshop - one of the few left) and in recent years it has cleaned up its act. Avoid the beach which can look like something out of Bosch, avert one's eyes from the monstrosity of the Brighton Centre on the seafront and one may find it quite a vibrant place.
I think I'll probably end up within easy reach of Brighton.O Wort, du Wort, das mir Fehlt!Comment
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Considering Brighton is a seaside resort, isn't that supposed to be one of its plus points? Your list of requirements, BoD, suggests you need to be in London. Brighton may have a concert hall, but it's what goes on in there week-in-week-out that makes " a great cultural centre". London is a GCC, Paris is a GCC, likewise Lyon, and I am sure there may be others in the UK (I am only familiar with the southeast) - but Brighton? Really?Originally posted by Bax-of-Delights View PostComment
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There are no "scruffy people" waiting to start fights outside pubs whilst prostitutes wait on street corners in London, then, Alain?[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Crikey ferney, you should come to Mynydd-Tor-y-Llanvihangel!!Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post
I have a great affection for Brighton, I used to live there (ok, over the border in Hove which is posh), my Uncle Bill lived there, my brother inherited his house, I visit regularly, and yes, the image of Brighton Rock and Pinky, the gangsters, the dodgy antique dealers in The Lanes and the dirty-weekend reputation of Mr. & Mrs. Smith live on, and it went through a really bad phase, but it's a great place - (gay capital of the south of course which does get up some people's noses) - but if I had to leave Wales then I'd be back there.Comment
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Which is probably the best offer I'm likely to get this week.Originally posted by Anna View PostCrikey ferney, you should come to Mynydd-Tor-y-Llanvihangel!!
Yes, I have very fond memories of Brighton - although it's nearly twenty years since I was last there - and was surprised at the strength of Alain's feelings.I have a great affection for Brighton, I used to live there (ok, over the border in Hove which is posh), my Uncle Bill lived there, my brother inherited his house, I visit regularly, and yes, the image of Brighton Rock and Pinky, the gangsters, the dodgy antique dealers in The Lanes and the dirty-weekend reputation of Mr. & Mrs. Smith live on, and it went through a really bad phase, but it's a great place - (gay capital of the south of course which does get up some people's noses) - but if I had to leave Wales then I'd be back there.
B-o-D could always look at Eastbourne! Or Lewes (incidentally, I'd rather buy from the "dodgy dealers" in The Lanes than in Lewes' over-priced emporia.[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Consider yourself on a promise!Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View PostMy mum, and my great-aunt Kitty (the Matriarch and Controller of the Family!) lived outside of Eastbourne, (my mum then moved to be nearer my sister, Kitty moved to Seaford, which is actually ok and there is a Kittiwake colony, no doubt in her honour!) my favourite cousin Tom whom I adore lives just outside of Lewes (Ringmer way) - but I'm not keen on Lewes at all - Brighton is a bit warts and all, not genteel like Bath, it's in yer face, like it or lump it. Good connections to London.Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View PostComment
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But I'm also surprised nobody has mentioned the travails of the UK's first and only Green-led local council:
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Not in the places I go to - do you seek them out?Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post
I have no objection to any of them, provided that there are sufficient cultural attractions to lure me to their patch (the Theatre du Chatelet comes to mind, and the astonishingly endowed ladies who hang about there). I'm sure Brighton has its attractions but on any given day in London or Paris, there are concerts, shows, operas, films within drinking distance. That is what constutes a Great Cultural Centre, not the desultory offerings of a faded seaside resort.Comment
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I find I don't have to - perhaps they avoid you?Originally posted by Alain Maréchal View Post
Well, of course. If one live in London, one has to put on diversions to take your mind off the grim realities that surround one. (The "drinking" being one of those "grim realities".)I'm sure Brighton has its attractions but on any given day in London or Paris, there are concerts, shows, operas, films within drinking distance.[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Ah, I see, concerts are 'diversions'. I hadn't thought of that. When I lived in London, I was too busy choosing which of the many opportunities for culture I should attend, and I didn't notice the grim realities, neither do I in Paris (nothing grim about those ladies in the Rue St-Denis), but I have done when on the southcoast of England. Perhaps its the grim weather. Brighton has a population of about 160,000 so perhaps it shouldn't expect to support an orchestra. Bournemouth is much bigger, and I suspect the orchestra is supported by the region. If its any consolation, and it probably isn't, Clermont-Ferrand is an industrial city with a population of over half a million and possesses merely a large chamber orchestra. So the inference is that only very large metropolitan areas can provide the necessary audience and funding.Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View PostI find I don't have to - perhaps they avoid you?
Well, of course. If one live in London, one has to put on diversions to take your mind off the grim realities that surround one. (The "drinking" being one of those "grim realities".)
Which brings us to Bamberg - population less than 100,000. How do they do it?Last edited by Alain Maréchal; 24-08-13, 19:50. Reason: correction of unforgiveably sloppy syntax and removeable of superfluous adverbsComment
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Sorry Alain but that's not correct. At the 2011 census Bournemouth had a pop of 180,000; the twin towns of Brighton & Hove 273,000.Originally posted by Alain Maréchal View Post
Brighton is closer to London and, therefore, within easy reach of most concertgoers while Bournemouth traditionally has looked for its audience through giving concerts right across the south west.Comment
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