When it comes to the grand compositions of Brighton and Hove, it is clearly the case that few buildings remain as they were originally intended – as houses.

Number 8 Royal Crescent, one of the city’s greatest remaining houses, is for sale. To reach its grand front door, one must first pass the Crescent’s large yellow brick pillars. Imposing railings to the sides and large stone slabs on the ground suggest grandeur beyond. Each building would originally have had its stone steps on view but some are now tiled. The front doors, some with semi-circular fanlights above, are a bit of a mix and come with a variety of pediments. Grand brass fittings however, are a common feature.

Royal Crescent, now Grade II* Listed, was commissioned by a West Indian speculator, J.B. Otto, and built between 1798 and 1807 as Brighton’s first composition: a series of 14 bay-fronted timber-framed buildings with five storeys including basements. The parapet is raised above numbers 7 to 10 (but not above the rest strangely) and ‘Royal Crescent’ is painted above numbers 7 and 8. The man first responsible for painting the two words met a nasty end after leaning back a little too far to admire his work.

The black mathematical tiles which adorn the fronts of the buildings are striking. Such tiles – imagine clever overlapping roof tiles, not bathroom tiles – are not uncommon in Sussex and may also be seen on Patcham Place. The window panes are a variety of sizes but would have once all been small as large panes weren’t in common use until after the 1850s. Interestingly, number 14 has a bow front, not a canted bay like the others, and it has been theorised that they were once all like that. Number 1 Royal Crescent is missing its bonnet canopy.

Phil from Mishon Mackay kindly showed me around number 8, the home of the Campbell family, where a huge amount of effort has been put into transforming it from several flats into a unified residence worthy of the name Royal. There are too many impressive features to list here but a dumb-waiter disguised as a bookcase is certainly best.
It’s not until one looks out over Royal Crescent’s communal gardens towards the sea that the composition can be truly appreciated. It’s no wonder that Lord Olivier, that king of the stage and screen, chose numbers 4 and 5 as his home.

“The dream is this: envisage a building that is, without exaggeration, a passport to freedom, where it is not necessary to work to pay utility bills, because there are none.” Earthship Brighton certainly does satisfy the dream as set out in Earthships – Building A Zero Carbon Future For Homes by Mischa Hewitt and Kevin Tefler.

And anybody who has visited this thrilling eco-building in Stanmer Park will testify as such. For those not in the know, Earthships might be defined as autonomous tyre and glass eco-structures, but all sorts of definitions exist. Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs firmly supports the concept which can, ultimately, be traced back to the first which was built by Michael Reynolds in New Mexico 30 years ago. Indeed, McCloud himself has provided a compelling foreword to the book (published in 2007 by HIS BRE Press).

I met Mischa and his colleague, Bryn Thomas, when I wrote a piece on Earthship Brighton some time back. Each was heavily involved with the complicated administration of the project and also helped out the army of volunteers with some of the actual building work. A complicated web of planet-friendly organisations has been involved from the outset, spear-headed by, principally, the Low Carbon Trust and Brighton Permaculture Trust.

“Earthships might be defined as autonomous tyre and glass eco-structures, but all sorts of definitions exist”

The purpose of my latest visit to Earthship Brighton was to attend part of a course on building Earthships. The idea is that it should be possible for fairly normal people to build their own versions, which makes it all the more disappointing that only three have so far been built in the UK. I imagine that the idea would be far more appealing if the planning system was more engaging and land cheaper. I met a number of people on the course though who hope to start their own soon and I wish them the best of luck.

Despite our obvious shared interest in buildings, I thoroughly enjoy speaking with Mischa about politics and society generally. Earthships are more than just homes – they represent a vision for the future. Those involved are pioneers; the modern equivalents of Eugenius Birch and Magnus Volk. 

Earthships (the book) highlights how often journalists use spacecraft analogies in their pieces, so there will be none of that today. Instead, I will ask anybody who is remotely interested in the idea to boldly go to www.lowcarbon.co.uk and seek out the sections on tours, courses and Mischa’s book.

www.buildingopinions.com

When Belvoir approached Latest Homes to become an advertiser we were surprised. Not for any negative reason, but simply because as the UK’s largest independent letting business, it had not happened sooner. Travel northward and Belvoir is the most prominent name in lettings across the country with around 150 branches. It was only a matter of time before they arrived here in Brighton and Hove.

Belvoir started in Grantham in 1994 and rapidly became a leader in the lettings field and over the years the franchised brand has gone from strength to strength.

Now open in Church Road Hove but offering their services across the city, this new branch of Belvoir has plenty to offer. Starting with clean and prominent branding that is already catching people’s attention, I asked Paul Foley what it was that he thought he and his partners could bring to the business.

‘‘Well, we are a more mature team than you might usually expect to find in the lettings business, and we are all bringing to this new opportunity a wealth of experience that we have gained in running our own very successful businesses before. I certainly believe that as a team we are not here today and gone tomorrow – we plan to stay.’’

Paul Foley may be new to the industry but as a successful businessman with a portfolio of investment properties already he is very aware of landlords’ expectations.

Graham Osborne will act as the company’s property manager. His background with a major national company gives him a wealth of management experience. The final partner Vicki Nightingale worked as an interior designer and will bring that experience to the business, advising landlords on how to maximise the potential of their properties.

In terms of credibility, Belvoir have an excellent reputation and it is not one that the parent company will allow to be damaged. All members are Belvoir trained and Belvoir act as business mentors throughout. They also operate a legal helpline from their UK based central office and are accredited by NALS.

The Belvoir brand is able to offer good insurance policies to both landlords and tenants. As the UK’s largest independent chain, they are proud of their independent spirit but also that it is backed up by the scale of the parent company.

When Paul decided to look into lettings, he went to 55 letting agents to see what the approach was. ‘‘Of the 55 I investigated as a prospective tenant, only two offered me a seat. As a landlord it was marginally better, but I felt like I was being a nuisance.

‘‘At Belvoir we offer a service that gives peace of mind to both landlords and tenants. We currently charge £99 a year for full rent and legal protection for landlords, but as an introductory offer we will give free rent and legal action protection to all new landlords up until November.’’

Belvoir, 177 Church Road, Hove
www.belvoirlettings.com/brightonandhove
01273 719260

Forget the recession. In these times of doom and gloom we need something to put a smile on our faces. And winning an award can certainly do that! 2009 marks the sixth year for the Brighton and Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs) and they promise it will be bigger and better than before with eight new sponsors and sixteen categories.

Sue Chandler (Hove Factually), Chris Warburton (Lucky Voice), Emma Ridley (Hove Factually)

The awards were officially launched at the Thistle Hotel on Tuesday 16 June at a party that was attended by many of the city’s leading business people including the Mayor, sponsors, judges and last year’s winners and finalists.

New sponsors this year include RedSeven, Kelta HR, Wired Sussex, Veolia Environmental Services, QED, Nido Marketing, Neilson Active Holidays and Absolute Brighton.

They join The Argus, University of Brighton, Hilton Brighton Metropole, MDhub, Brighton Primary Care Trust, Royal Mail and Nixon McInnes.
New awards include the Award for Innovation in Business, sponsored by the University of Brighton. This is open to any business based in, or operating from, the city of Brighton and Hove. The award recognises those businesses that have stolen a march on their competitors through the use of technological, operational or marketing innovations.

The search for the Best Place to Visit in Brighton and Hove is sponsored by QED. More than half of Brighton’s visitors are people who have been before and who love to come back for more! Is your place an undiscovered gem or one that attracts more and more visitors each year? Where is the place that most enriches the city and makes Brighton one of the UK’s most popular destinations?

Ian Lucas, MD of RedSeven, was last year’s winner of the Sussex Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year which takes a bow as a new BAHBA category. The combination of vision, creativity, acumen, dedication and energy that makes for a successful entrepreneur is a rare thing and this award celebrates those who have used those qualities to achieve outstanding commercial success and profitability.

Jon Barrenechea (Duke of York’s Picturehouse)

“The BAHBAs promise to be bigger and better than before”

Chairman of the judges, Tony Mernagh, executive director of the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership (BHEP), said how much he was looking forward to reviewing the entries and meeting the potential winners and encouraged all those at the reception to get busy and enter.

Designed to raise awareness and celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of our growing 21st century city, the BAHBAs acknowledge and celebrate those companies, organisations and individuals who really build the Brighton brand.

The judges are looking for companies and organisations that really capture the spirit of Brighton and Hove. Innovation and leadership are considered more important than size or revenue. Visit the web site to find out more about each of the sixteen categories.

How to enter
Entering the awards could not be easier. It costs £50 (exc vat) for one entry and £75 (exc vat) to enter as many times as you like. Decide how many times you wish to enter. Address the criteria outlined, and click to pay. All finalists will receive a free place at the awards ceremony which takes place Friday, 9 October 2009 at the Brighton Hilton Metropole. MC for the evening will be announced at a later date.
www.bahbas.org.uk

hbc for bathrooms (Hove Bathroom Centre Ltd) is celebrating entering its 30th year in business. The well established company is a designer, retailer and installer of quality bathrooms in the Brighton and Hove area.

The showroom, based in a central location on Church Road, Hove, is set on three levels. Each floor displays a comprehensive range of bathroom products with over 20 display settings of baths, basins, WCs, taps and showers. Manufacturers such as Duravit and Hansgrohe with their Philippe Starck ranges provide modern and contemporary sanitary ware and brassware, while a more traditional style is found within the Lefroy Brooks range.

hbc for bathrooms offer a technical survey of the room and using a state of the art CAD system, provide a fully managed installation service using their own specialist fitting teams.

hbc for bathrooms, 195 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, tel: 01273 730149, www.hbcforbathrooms.com

The name Varndean has had massive appeal in property circles for many years. It breathes calm, quiet and quality – and it also smacks of excellent education opportunities too. But this exceptional family home has so much more going for it.

By that I am not talking hot-tubs and digital wizardry. On the contrary, I see this as a return to solid family ideals in home design; a house built and designed with family life at the forefront.

Varndean gardens is a tree-lined avenue with splendid period homes, bay windows, pantiles, extended gables and steeply pitched roofs. It would have been crazy to slide in anything that jarred in this picture perfect setting, so Heron have built a perfect replica period house. Perfect in many more ways than just copying the style. All the short-comings of a 1930s house have been left behind, with modern building techniques and new technologies all having been brought together here.

For anyone in love with the style and the period but terrified of the prospect of renovating and maintaining a 30s house, this is the answer. No dodgy wiring, wonky plumbing or rising damp – this is a new build with a real difference.

“I am impressed by the quality, attention to detail and generosity of the space”

From the road the aspect is inviting; a well established garden lines the curved path leading to the main entrance. Ahead is the first distinctive feature, a tile clad turret that appears to float above the ground. Once inside you discover that it houses a very elegant spiralling staircase to the upper floor. It’s a strikingly luxurious note.

The hall itself is more than generous, being no mere corridor, and the use of glazed double doors into the main reception at the rear amplifies the sense of space.

The living space is more than generous, with room for sitting and for dining if you choose to use the space in that way.

Beyond, again through double glazed doors, is a large garden room, by no means a conservatory, being far more useful and stylish with a high pitched ceiling and windows on all three sides overlooking the landscaped and planted garden and a paved patio which is reached through double doors.

Standing back and looking at the sequence of double doors between the three adjoining spaces and the garden it becomes obvious that while offering so many separate spaces this house is also designed to be seen as one large space, ideal for parties of all kinds.

Leading off the hall to the front is a large modern kitchen with stylish units and work-surfaces, quality integrated appliances and masses of light. It is clearly a kitchen designed for lovers of cooking and in the bay window to the front there is a lovely dining area overlooking the front garden.

Also off the hall is a large tiled cloakroom with WC fitted with Villeroy and Boch fixtures, as are all the bathrooms. Next to this is a good sized utility room with its own external door and a range of cupboards and plumbing for washing machine and dryer. I see it as an ideal space for a drinks chiller and wine cellar personally.

Finally getting to climb the sweeping staircase I discover a huge rectangular landing, certainly big enough for a large chest of drawers and a chair too. It’s the sort of generosity of space that too many developers discard, but here it adds a sense of style and luxury. It also puts a good deal of space between the front and rear bedrooms, of which there are four. To the front a large bay-fronted master suite comes with fitted wardrobes and en-suite WC and shower. To the side the smallest of the four is still a good size and would also make an excellent home office.

To the rear overlooking the garden are two identically sized double bedrooms, thus avoiding potential sibling rivalry over space. Off the landing there is a modern family bathroom, again fully tiled in a contemporary style.

The property has an integrated garage with remote electric up and over door and there is even a garden shed to store that essential lawn mower to complete that idyllic British summer scene.

This house offers so much; looks, location and lifestyle. The road is amazingly quiet, I have heard no traffic during my stay and I am impressed by not only the quality of this new build but by the attention to detail and generosity of the space.

From the road it has a pretty bijou look that deceptively disguises the scale of the accommodation behind. Ideally suited to families, brilliantly positioned for access with Preston Park Station close by and the A23 minutes away, this lovely home is certainly scoring top marks.

Property: A period style new-build four bedroom detached family house
Location: Varndean Gardens
Price: £650,000*
* Property professionally dressed by Andrew Henry Interiors and includes carpets, light fittings and curtains etc within the sale price.
Contact: Mansell McTaggart: 01273 508955

Home entertainment is changing fast: TVs are getting bigger, music systems are getting smaller - and increasingly, everything is inter-connected as we demand more from our home media. And as we upgrade our technology to high-definition, high-speed home cinema and entertainment, our homes – and storage – must also evolve. Wondering where you could possibly put a 42-incher? Well, wonder no more – Latest Interiors has a few storage solutions up its sleeve.

Opus white block ‘L’ shelves, 2 shown, £140 each, www.next.co.uk

Music, music, music…
The stereos of the ‘70s and ‘80s were ginourmous things – often wood-encased. Size mattered. But as CDs took hold of the market, music systems became streamlined, and people needed less room for their CD collections. Now, of course, the advent of mp3 players is pushing CDs into extinction.

If space is at a premium in your home (and you haven’t yet joined the technological revolution), one of the most sensible things you can do is transfer your entire music collection to mp3 format, then ditch the CDs and any old vinyl you’ve still got hanging around. Programmes like iTunes will allow you to upload music from CDs, and a USB turntable lets you convert any LPs – complete with scratchy background noises – to mp3 format. Buy a neat docking (possibly wireless, multi-room) system – and voila, lots of free storage space.

TV and home cinema
It’s easy to be seduced by a sleek, glossy flat-screen TV. You can pore over web-pages and store catalogues, choosing just the right make and size and then… You get it home. And you realise just how huge it is. And that it just doesn’t seem to look right anywhere. Oops.

Some people take the plunge and fix their new TV to the sitting room wall – often above the fireplace or in another central position.

Opus white block ‘L’ shelves, 2 shown, £140 each, www.next.co.uk

However, this is far from ideal as, even for larger screens, the TV-in-place-of-art is a bit too high for comfortable viewing (never mind what to do with all the cables!) Most people don’t want the TV to dominate their living space, and so opt for some sort of unit or stand.

Units to hold and support a larger-size (more than 24”) flat-screen TV need to be longer and slightly lower than for conventional sets, for balance and stability. A simple, low box-shelf or table with storage below for other equipment is the basic option. If you want more flexible viewing, the TV can be fixed to an extending, adjustable bracket, which allows you to angle the screen for viewing, but push it back to the wall when not in use.

For a cable-free, modern look, the gold-standard has to be a bespoke media unit. The current trend is for a unit that fits flush around the screen (often with a hidden bracket, so that screen angle can be adjusted), with storage built beneath (and either side, if there’s room).

If the unit is laminated to match or tone with other décor, the TV will blend in perfectly. Storage space below should be big enough for any home cinema, gaming or other media equipment. Don’t build in too much DVD or blu-ray storage space, though – super-fast, fibre-optic broadband could be consigning them to the recycling bin any minute. We can hardly keep up.

Parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles of Brighton and Hove have welcomed the arrival of Now We Are Six enthusiastically. The toy shop offers a range of traditional and iconic toys for children aged one to six that will delight, educate and stimulate.

They offer a large range of affordable yet delightful wooden toys, games and musical instruments. These range from pick-up sticks to marbles of every colour and size; gorgeous wooden dolls houses; castles; garages and palaces for your particular Prince, Princess or budding mechanic.

For young but careful drivers, Now We Are Six offer wooden and metal bikes, pull along, ride on or pedal cars, animals and tractors – all of the highest quality.

There’s a design-led range of boys and girls clothes in store, including a fabulous organic, naturally coloured range. Also on offer are dressing-up costumes, a variety of making kits for all ages and a small but select range of books.

Now We Are Six has gone out of its way to ensure it has a comprehensive range of children’s toys of the highest quality at reasonable prices.Their long term aim is to become a fun, learning experience for children as well as a shop. Consequently, to the rear of the shop is a performance area where regular puppet shows, magic shows, weekly story-telling and face-painting takes place.

The next puppet shows are at 11am, 12pm and 1pm on Saturday 4 July, followed by professional face-painting between 11am and 1pm on Saturday 11 July. Book a place early to avoid disappointment.

Hosted by Miss Sparkle, a well known local children’s entertainer, these events are increasingly popular and are truly magical entertainment for kids of all ages.
Now We Are Six has only been open for a short time. They are keen to support local schools, play groups and nurseries by offering a wide range of products from its impressive list of high-quality suppliers at generous discounts.

Contact Michael at the shop: Now We Are Six, 44 Church Road, Hove, 01273 722533

Discipline. Dictionary says; ‘the practice of training people to obey rules’. I am trying to use my voice to let the toddler know when I am praising, when I am not pleased with behavior and when I do not want her to run out into the road.

The other day the toddler started to play with her scooter on a zebra crossing. My mate got run over on the very same crossing.

I shouted at the toddler, dragged her/buggy/scooter across to safety only to get in the way of some dumb-ass cyclist. (Why put the cycle lane so close to where you wait to cross?) She got off her bike even though it’s technically her right of way. I would have preferred it she had just biked off around us. Instead she just waited, watching.

Had her TV broken? Can the nation not get enough soap operas and reality progs, that now the public like to just stare at real life as it happens. “Tonight on ITV1 – ‘Mother tells off toddler in cycle lane: when to scold and when not to scold? You, the public decide!’ I felt so judged.

The toddler is crying about her hurty arm as I’ve pulled her hard away from revving Ford Escorts to safety! They don’t give you enough time to cross on these crossings. Are they only designed for Linford Christie?

“I would have preferred it if she had just biked off around us. Instead she just waited, watching”

The woman banged on: ‘Ohh, poor thing…’ She sounded like my mum. Like a grandparent who’s forgotten what it’s like to be a parent. I wanted to tell her to get lost. The toddler did not need sympathy. She needed to know quite sternly that you can’t stop in the middle of a zebra crossing.

It’s all very well saying we shouldn’t shout at our kids but there is a specific time when it is absolutely essential to give your child a bad association with an event. Faffing about in front of revving cars is one of them.

I think shouting or a tone of voice your child is not used to hearing is vital to imprinting that Mummy doesn’t like that behavior and it’s a scary situation. The two-year-old is not going to understand death or the affects of a car ploughing into her. She now says: ”Hurry, cars might squish me,” so maybe she is getting the rules!

We have just returned from our boat trip around the Norwegian Fjords, and one word sums up the holiday: Cabin. This was The Boy’s relentless cry. ‘Cabin?’ with a question mark for when he was feeling sorry for himself, or ‘Cabin!’ with an exclamation mark, when he was angry at the injustice of it all. Just when we were about to discover a new part of either the boat or Norway (both quite big.)

I’m not saying it wasn’t a nice cabin. It was perfectly fine – the right amount of beds, places to put your clothes, a kettle, a bunk bed (his favourite aspect) and – thank God – a balcony. It’s just that it felt like those families who drive to the seafront, then sit in their car on a baking hot day eating a pickled egg.

Knowing The Boy’s love of our room with a view, we paused for the reaction (like that bit in thrillers where they cut the red wire on a bomb and wait for it to go off) when we told him we were going on a coach. ”Yippee,” he said. (He does indeed say ‘yippee’, like an actor playing a small boy, given an unconvincing script.) ”I love horses,” he adds. Realisation sank in. ”Not that type of coach,” I said. ”More like a bus.” (Snip, goes the blue wire.) His reaction? Neutral.

“He kept interrupting our Norwegian tour guide’s facts with questions such as ‘How big is a bacteria to an elephant?’”

This trip was around Stavanger. We visited the Petroleum Museum, where The Boy got to pull levers and marvel at the size of drill bits. Overall, I’d give it ‘4 star.’ (Cracker joke companies offering work can contact me via the Latest Homes email).

We also went to see some Viking accommodation – very pleasant, roomy with delicate fabrics. Lastly we visited a monument with bloody big swords. It was all good stuff and The Boy seemed to very much enjoy himself, even if he kept interrupting our Norwegian tour guide’s facts about roundabouts and trolls with questions such as ‘How big is a bacteria to an elephant?‘

My other highlights? Seeing a glacier up close, the magnificent scenery of the Fjords, and the weight of my tray at the self-service buffet line.

For The Boy? He’ll remember the tiny marshmallows that float in hot chocolate, the warm swimming pool on deck (or as I call it, the Jacuzzi) and the undeniable excitement of climbing a ladder to get into bed.