A RETIRED schoolteacher has published a book of photographs which capture key developments in Brighton’s history, some of which are shown in today’s Timeout pages.

Christopher Horlock, who was born in Brighton in 1953 and brought up and educated in the city, has released his new book full of historical photographs called Brighton From Old Photographs.

His interest in local history peaked in 1968 when he was still a teenager and over the years he has built up a collection of photographs, maps, prints and ephemera.

The tiny Gem Cinema pictured in our main image was a converted shop in London Road, between Ann Street and York Hill.

The cinema opened in 1910 and could seat about 60 people on the plain wooden benches inside.

The Gem closed five years later due to competition from the nearby Duke of York’s which is still open today.

The Eden became the Grand in 1912, a very popular theatre which offered guests a mix of full-bodied melodrama, pantomimes and even risque adult shows.

The building burnt down in a large fire that took place in 1961 after the theatre closed in 1955, before becoming a furniture store.

Today the site in Middle Street is a nondescript car park.

The Theatre Royal, one of the city’s most-loved theatres is pictured in around 1875 with a rebuilt frontage.

The Countess of Huntingdon’s church is seen on the left of the theatre.

The year 1845 saw a truly farcical night in the theatre’s history when a late start to two productions saw the orchestra and crew go on strike.

The Alhambra, ideally situated on the seafront between the two piers, opened in 1888.

This was Brighton’s fifth purpose-built theatre.