Viva Brighton Issue #48 February 2017

INSIDE LEFT: 20 BOND STREET, 1908
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The building at 20 Bond Street, now used by Gresham Blake, was in 1908 a kosher butcher’s, M Miles &
Co, which served Brighton’s Jewish community. H Miles took over the butcher’s from a Charles Parker in
1871, and the shop remained as a specialist kosher butchers until the 1950s. In 1886 the owner was listed
in a directory as ‘H Miles, a family butcher, by appointment to the Hebrews’(!) By the time this picture
was taken, the shop had passed over to M Miles, presumably his son, who we reckon is the chap with the
apron, standing in the doorway.
The first recorded Jewish resident of Brighton was Israel Samuel, a silversmith, toy maker and lodgingshouse
keeper, who arrived here in 1776. In March last year a plaque was erected where he lived, 22 East
Street, to mark the 240th anniversary of his arrival. A community soon developed in North Laine, around
what is still known as Jew Street. Since those times Brighton has been shaped enormously by Jewish
people, in many ways.
Not least, it must be said, architecturally. Sir Isaac Goldsmid, a director of the London and Brighton
and South Coast Railway, was hugely influential in the development of the town; David Mocatta was
the architect of Brighton Station; Palace Pier was funded by Sir John Howard, Brighton Marina was
conceived by Henry Cohen; the Middle Street Synagogue, opened in 1875, is often considered to be one
of the city’s most beautiful buildings; David Marks is one half of the i360 architecture team. It’s difficult
to count, of course, but today Brighton’s Jewish population is estimated at around 3,000, making it the
fifth-biggest community in the country, served by four synagogues (and no specialist kosher butchers).
This picture comes courtesy of the Regency Society, who hold the James Gray archive of pictures of
Brighton from the invention of photography till the early 90s. We’d love to know the identity of the
dandy on the left of the picture. Alex Leith
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