'...in Brighton and Hove today engineering alone employs more labour than all the hotels, boarding-houses and restaurants put together'
Industry in Sussex, 1952

	Tin of Ronuk Silicone Wax, 1950s.

The early 1900s saw most people in Brighton employed in trade, domestic service and hotel-work. With the exception of railway workshops, there were very few large factories. However, during the inter-war years purpose-built factories were constructed on the outskirts of town by local firms such as Ronuk and Allen West.

	Leaflet advertising Allen West and Co. Ltd. Type SC1 Direct Switching Starter.

By the 1950s large-scale industrial development had taken place. Industrial estates such as Hollingbury and Hyde were created and companies began to locate to Brighton. Property prices were low, transport links were good and there was a large pool of cheap labour.

The last few decades has seen Britain's economic climate change. Service industries such as banking and insurance have begun to dominate and manufacturing industries have declined. In Brighton, take-overs and relocations have seen the end of companies like Ronuk and Allen West and many industrial estates have been redeveloped as retail parks.

See objects on display in the Light Industry section of Exploring Brighton gallery