King’s Esplanade in Hove is a fascinating mixture of the old and the new.

Typical of the contrast are adjoining blocks of flats – St Aubyn’s Mansions and Bath Court.

The Mansions, ornate in style, were taken over during the Second World War as part of the King Alfred centre for training naval officers. They were semi derelict for several years until restored.

There are two plaques on the front commemorating famous residents of the past. One is to Dame Clara Butt, the imposing contralto.

Born in Southwick, she lived in Hove for a while before becoming the most famous female singer in the country. Her speciality was Land Of Hope And Glory.

The second plaque is to Vesta Tilly, a music hall entertainer who gained fame as a male impersonator.

Bath Court, built in the 1980s, has clean, straight lines which make it one of the few modern blocks of flats on Hove seafront with much style.

According to author Paul K Lyons in a new book, King’s Esplanade was built in the 1880s for £11,000. The price included new groynes on the beach designed to prevent erosion.

The original name for the 1,000-foot long promenade was Medina Parade and the large stone groyne also bears the name Medina.

Hove’s first baths were built by the prom, containing separate male and female pools. There were also slipper baths where people with no baths at home could enjoy a good soak.

People in St Aubyn’s Mansions often used to complain about the smoke from a laundry which was also part of the complex.

Later on they became Turkish baths before being taken over by Hove Council. They remained in use until the King Alfred baths opened in 1939 and fragments of the tiling can still be seen.

After the war, the baths building was used as a diamond factory, employing up to 50 people. The building was empty for many years and was squatted before being demolished.

Many plans have been submitted for the site, mainly involving tall buildings, but none of them have received planning approval.

Next door is Marrocco’s, famous as a restaurant and ice cream parlour since 1969. Before that it was owned by the Brighton and Hove branch of the Forte family.

King’s Esplanade was extensively used for promenading during the Edwardian era, as the picture above shows.

The main addition since then has been the popular seafront cycle lane. One short section is the only bit in Hove where the lane runs along the prom rather than on the south side of Kingsway.

It is also the only place where residents can enjoy sea views from their flats without the roar of traffic.

Many homes in the area had a unique water supply before the war. Baths had a third tap used for dispensing sea water.

The water came from a large tank built under the prom which remained derelict and forgotten for many decades.

  • Brighton And Hove Then And Now by Paul K Lyons (The History Press, £14.99)
  • Picture from the James Gray collection held by the Regency Society