Brighton's famous first nudist dies (From The Argus)

Brighton's famous first nudist dies

12:00pm Saturday 25th July 2009 in News By Richard Gurner

Brighton's first official nudist has died at the age of 89.

Arthur Albrow became the first person to bare all when the city’s nudist beach opened in 1980.

Mr Albrow, of Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk, was a plumber by trade and worked on major developments in the city including the University of Sussex and Churchill Square.

But despite having a hand in some of the biggest building projects in Brighton, Mr Albrow's greatest claim to fame was as the first nudist in the sea.

His son, Roger, 62, said: “He used to swim in the sea every week. Early in the morning he used to go down there.

“He was a bit put out when they made his beach a nudist beach.

“One morning he went passed the beach on his way to work and all the reporters were there was well as Miss Brighton.

“He went and nobody was going into the water. He thought: 'I'll have a go at this'.

“He had never taken his clothes off and did not do it again. It was his beach where he swam where they made the nudist beach so he thought he would become the first official nudist and made the national news.

“It was his five minutes of fame.”

The Argus reported on April 1 1980 how Mr Albrow was the first in the water at Brighton's newly opened nudist beach.

Mr Albrow told us at the time: “I am on my way to the doctor. My wife doesn't know I am here.

“I swim every Sunday all the year round and it isn't too cold today. But I shall be sticking to my regular beach next door in future.”

Mr Albrow was originally from London but lived in Brighton from the 1930s.

He was from a boxing family of three brothers and went on to coach Brighton schoolboys in the 1960s.

His march into the sea in 1980 would not be the last time Arthur graced the pages of this newspaper.

In 2006 we reported the happy occasion when he and wife Violet celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.

The couple first met on the seafront at the tender age of 15. When Second World War broke out in 1939 they both went to work at an aircraft factory in Swindon.

Violet worked on the assembly line and Arthur was a coppersmith. They married two years later.

Mr Albrow died on July 17.

He is survived by his wife, two children, four grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren.

His service will be held at Woodvale Crematorium, Brighton, on August 3 at 11.30am.