Two of Britain’s greatest painters descended on Brighton in the early part of the 19th century and did some of their finest work there.

John Constable and his family lived in what is now Sillwood Road, where a city blue plaque has recently been placed on the house (pictured inset).

Joseph Mallord William Turner came to the resort from Petworth House in West Sussex where he had been staying with his patron Lord Egremont.

Both artists included the Chain Pier, then the height of modernity, in their work. They considered it to be a handsome structure.

Turner also painted a scene called A Ship Aground which was a peaceful picture but his earlier work, A View Of Brighton From The Sea, showed the town with storm-driven waves.

There are no details of his visits but he made notes in sketch books about the appearance of the sea.

Many works by Turner including some of Brighton are on show at Petworth House which is owned by the National Trust.

Both Constable and Turner liked the luminous light of Brighton and its plentiful sunshine, a stark contrast to the soot and smoke of London.

Constable said, “There is not a healthy man in London, such is the state of the atmosphere and the mode of life.”

He brought his family to the seaside between 1824 and 1828. This was partly because he was concerned about the health of his wife, Maria. She was suffering from TB and doctors advised her that the sea air would do her good. She also had happy memories of the town from her younger days.

But her health declined and after she died, the painter and his children returned broken-hearted to London.

Constable completed many works in Brighton and was often seen sketching on the beach among the fishing boats.

He said, “The magnificence of the sea is drowned in the din ad tumult of stage coaches, gigs, flys etc.”

Constable described the busy beach as “Piccadilly or worse by the seaside” but his time in Brighton was particularly productive for him as an artist.

His comments include criticism of bathing women who he said spoke in deep voices using profane language.

He added, “In short there is nothing here for an artist but the sea and the sky which have been lovely indeed and always varying.”

Constable toured the surrounding countryside and one surviving painting is of the windmill at West Blatchington in Hove which still exists today.

The artist also found time in Brighton to complete a series of landscape pictures for the Louvre in Paris.

Constable’s most important picture of Brighton was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1827 and shows a busy scene set against a stormy sky.

He also produced a series of sketches of the beach showing some of the coal boats which used to pitch up on the stones to be unloaded.

More is being discovered all the time about his stay in Brighton by interested residents in Sillwood Road.

It is likely that this will result in a Brighton exhibition of his work at Brighton Museum in 2017.