'There was no Whithawk there at all then. It was quite wild and there were criss-cross paths down the valley. I remember I had a sledge with a little tiny box on the top and two of my brothers and I used to go down there. We were head over tip many a time'
Fred Tester, born 1908.

Brighton developed as a fishing town. By the mid 1600s it had become the largest town in Sussex. In the early 1700s the fishing industry declined and the population decreased.
Before 1750, Dr Richard Russell of Lewes started to send patients to Brighton to be cured by drinking and bathing in seawater. As the town became a health resort, jobs were created and the town grew quickly again.

The arrival of the railways in the 1840s saw Brighton change from health resort to holiday resort. Growing numbers of tourists meant that more jobs were created and the town continued to grow.

Most of Brighton & Hove was built during the 100 years between the opening of the railway lines and the start of World War II in 1939. The city of Brighton & Hove is still developing. For many who have lived in Brighton for any length of time, the growth of the town has been very visible.