Brighton population

 

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Brighton, up to 1831
Brighton, housing totals by ratable value 1839
Brighton and Preston, housing totals 1901
Brighton and Hove, housing starts 1862-1918

 

Brighton, up to 1831

       
year houses population (est)   source
1665 267 houses 1,268   L Salzman: Victoria County History, 1940.
1744 454 houses 2,380   J G Bishop: A Peep into the Past: Brighton in 1744-61. Brighton, 1895.
1747 410 houses 2,150   Bishop, 1895.
1753 407 houses 2,140   Bishop, 1895.
1770 598 houses 3,140   [P Dunvan]: Ancient and Modern History of Lewes and Brighthelmston, Lewes, 1795, pp490, 553; Charles Wright: Brighton Ambulator, London & Brighton, 1818, pp33-34
1794 1,221 houses   Charles Wright: Brighton Ambulator, London & Brighton, 1818, pp33-34.
1801 1,282 houses   Population Act 1801 [census].
1811 2,777 houses   Population Act 1811 [census].
1818 3,281 houses   Charles Wright: Brighton Ambulator, London & Brighton, 1818, pp67-70.
1821 3,947 houses   Population Act 1821 [census].
1831 7,700 houses   Population Act 1831 [census].

Source: some data adapted from J H & S P Farrant: Brighton Before Dr Russell. Brighton: University of Sussex Centre for Continuing Education, 1976.


Brighton, housing totals by ratable value 1839

     
ratable value houses
under £10 2,474
£10-£15 2,162
£15-£20 1,462
over £20 over 3,000
total >9,118

That the highest number at this time were in the category with the highest ratable value is significant, given the social distribution of the population of approximately 45,000. Many larger properties were described in directories as furnished houses and thus not in permanent occupation.
Source: Leppard & Co: Brighton Directory 1839


Brighton and Preston, housing totals 1901

   
houses
Brighton 17,650
Preston 4,009
total parliamentary borough 16,691
total municipal borough 21,659

Source: Kelly: Brighton Directory 1911


Brighton and Hove, housing starts 1862-1918

  Brighton Hove     Brighton Hove
1862 148     1891 257 169
1863 289     1892 202 172
1864 284     1893 545 164
1865 180     1894 486 199
1866 226     1895 381 331
1867 275     1896 596 400
1868 307     1897 411 311
1869 415     1898 484 333
1870 293     1899 652 266
1871 218     1900 404 426
1872 25     1901 603 257
1873 121     1902 843 269
1874 89     1903 1,084 171
1875 171 185   1904 638 223
1876 206 306   1905 465 258
1877 416 323   1906 356 241
1878 496 399   1907 201 160
1879 553 159   1908 99 142
1880 749 194   1909 71 194
1881 626 425   1910 47 151
1882 518 146   1911 62 184
1883 167 66   1912 30 105
1884 311 26   1913 81 74
1885 81 12   1914 69 42
1886 36 36   1915 0 27
1887 37 28   1916 1 0
1888 45 29   1917 2 0
1889 74 46   1918 0 0
1890 139 143  

Source: ESRO: planning applications for Brighton (DB/D/7 series) and Hove (DO/C/6 series)
• Caveat: These are crude data for the annual number of planning applications for new houses. Completion may not have occurred until the following year and it is possible that some were not constructed or were withdrawn and superseded by replacement applications; in these cases the numbers are believed to be very small.
• Aldrington was a separate local planning authority from 1881 to 1893, when it was incorporated into Hove, with which it is merged here.
• Parts of Steyning East, Chailey and Newhaven Rural Districts were incorporated within the future city in 1928 but are not included here.

 

Page updated 7 November 2024