By Tim Lambert
1000 AD Brighton is a small village
1185 St Bartholomews Church is first mentioned
1313 Brighton is given a charter (a document granting the people certain rights). Weekly markets are held and annual fairs.
1340 The sea ‘swallows’ 40 acres of farmland
1497 A bulwark is built to defend Brighton
1514 The French burn Brighton
1545 The French return but are driven off
1580 Brighton has a population of around 2,500. It has 80 fishing vessels.
1651 Charles II comes to Brighton while fleeing the Roundheads
1660 The modern name Brighton is first used
1665 A free school opens
1703 Brighton is severely damaged by a storm
1705 Another storm damages the town
1730 Encroachment by the sea causes great concern in Brighton
1739 Preston Manor is built
1750 Dr Richard Russell writes a book in which he claims bathing in seawater is good for your health. Afterward, Brighton develops as a seaside resort.
1774 The first theatre in Brighton opens
1783 The Prince of Wales visits Brighton. The population of Brighton is about 4,000.
1789 A grammar school opens
1793 Two new batteries are built at Brighton
1815 Brighton Pavilion is built
1821 A local newspaper is founded in Brighton
1824 Steamships begin operating between Brighton and France
1841 Brighton is connected to London by railway
1861 The population of Brighton is 65,000
1866 West Pier is built
1867 Brighton General Hospital is built
1872 An aquarium is built
1874 Preston Park opens. A museum and library opens.
1882 A telephone exchange opens in Brighton
1883 The electric railway begins
1888 The Clock Tower is built
1899 Palace Pier is opened
1901 The first electric trams run
1909 The first cinema opens in Brighton
1925 A boating pool is built
1936 A Rock Garden is laid out in Preston Park
1939 The last electric trams run in Brighton
1962 Sussex University is founded
mid-1960s Churchill Square is built
1975 West Pier closes