Old Steine is one of the busiest streets in Brighton, with a constant flow of cars, lorries and buses. But more than a century ago, it was a fairly peaceful place as this postcard shows.

Horse-drawn carriages appear to be the only means of transport and the ornamental gardens themselves are almost deserted.

The paucity of transport is not surprising but the absence of people is, since Old Steine was often preferred to the seafront by fashionable people as a place to promenade because it was smarter and less breezy.

Many of the trees in this picture have long since succumbed to gales or diseases but most of the buildings remain.

The picture is from the collection of Terry Sinnott.