With a length of three-and-a-half miles from St Peter's Church to Sussex University, Lewes Road is the longest continuouslynamed road in Brighton and Hove.

It has undergone a number of traffic improvement schemes over the years and the latest, although controversial, does make the cycle ride to the universities safer for students.

This is a busy area of mostly small homes and businesses and is currently enjoying a revival after decades of decline. It is particularly attractive to young families and first time buyers and its proximity to Brighton and Sussex universities means there is a lot of rental accommodation available.


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The first buildings here were the Lewes Road Barracks and the Wagner Almshouses, both of which survive, although what remains of the barracks is to be knocked down for housing.

The road north of The Level from Elm Grove up to Bear Road was developed from the 1860s and the stretch to Natal Road was built in the 1890s. These are mainly terraced houses and two-storey flats.

At the bottom of Elm Grove stands the Catholic church of St Joseph and half way up the road is St Wilfrid's Church, now converted into homes, and once described by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman as the best 1930s church in the country.

Many of the roads north of Bear Road were named after battles and Boer War heroes, including Kimberly, Nesbitt and Mafeking and Queen Victoria's love of the Isle of Wight resulted in the naming of roads after towns on the island, such as Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown.

One of the most famous events to take place in the area was The Battle of Lewes Road during the 1926 General Strike when 4,000 strikers gathered outside the tram depot.

More than 300 policemen on foot and 50 on horseback fought the strikers and 17 strikers were arrested. They were given sentences of up to six months' hard labour.

The area around Lewes Road is very popular with first time buyers and young families. Many of the houses are still single residences, being too small to convert into flats and most have small gardens.

Those that have been subdivided are very popular.

Getting into town is easy with a five minute bus service into the centre and Moulsecoomb railway station is just behind the University of Brighton.

The Level is at the south end of Lewes Road. This park has always been an important recreational space for the people of Brighton and has recently undergone a £2.2 million restoration and improvements programme, with funding from the city council, National Lottery and local developers. The new look Level includes a play area, skateboard park and areas for ball games.

The imposing building at the top of Elm Grove is Brighton General Hospital, formerly Brighton Workhouse, later renamed as the Brighton Poor Law Institution, where the people unable to work and the elderly were given Spartan accommodation and meagre rations in exchange for carrying out menial tasks.

The racecourse at the top of Elm Grove has been through a major investment programme and is now one of the most popular seaside courses in the country.

The area includes the city's cemeteries and crematoria. The oldest is the Extra Mural cemetery and among its Victorian tombs are the remains of many of Brighton's important figures. Above this is Woodvale Cemetery and Crematorium, the first crematorium in Sussex, and higher still is The Downs Crematorium.