Some of the sources of information we can use:
Historic Newspapers of Hove (and Brighton) NEW!
Brighton Museum and Libraries recently released over 4000 digitised copies of the Brighton Herald newspaper which can be browsed online or downloaded.
The Herald (later The Brighton and Hove Herald) was the first newspaper dedicated to Brighton, publishing its first issue on 6 September 1806. The news in that issue was dominated by the war against Napoleon’s France, but it was lightened by reports about local agriculture and fashion tips — it seems that ‘white satin Spanish hats with ostrich feathers’ were still considered part of full dress.
The Herald continued as a weekly newspaper until September 1972, when it was absorbed by one of its rivals, the Brighton Gazette. The digitised newspapers released cover the period from 1806 to 1920. There is intermittent coverage for the early years, but a complete run is available from 1832 onwards.
Direct links to old maps of Hove you can use online from 1797 to 1950. Use the series of 6 inch maps from 1875 to 1950 to trace the development of the part of Hove you are interested in.
1899 Sussex Sheet LXV.NE Portslade, Hangleton, West Blatchington 6 inches to one mile was accidently left out of the above link but can be found HERE
See the maps of Hove’s 15 Conservation Areas and read about the history, development and special significance of each area.
Hove Library Local Studies Room
Provides access to a wide variety of books on Hove, Brighton and Sussex, street directories back to 1799 and local newspapers and magazines dating back to 1749. It has voters lists for Hove dating back over a century, old photographs and a collection of Hove Borough Council development plans and old Hove Town Guides and maps.
The James Gray Collection of Historic Photographs
An archive of 7,500 old photographs of Brighton and Hove collected by James Gray (1904-1998) and now published online by the Regency Society. Volumes 11 to 17 focus on Hove.
Hove historian Judy Middleton’s blog. As well as dozens of illustrated pages on various aspects of the history of Hove, this website contains a full list of Judy’s many publications.
These include A History of Hove and the unpublished The Encyclopedia of Hove, a manuscript copy of which is available at the Hove Library Local Studies Room.
The Hove Civic Society website includes a section devoted to various aspects of the History of Hove including the famous people celebrated on blue plaques in Hove, the Amber Cup, Palmeira Square, the the archaeology and brickwork of Hove.
This award-winning website is a living history of Brighton and Hove. Through the site, people share their memories, photos, knowledge and opinions about the city – as it is today and as it was in the past.
It includes a useful introduction to the the History of Brighton and Hove by Geoffrey Mead, one of the most knowledgeable and interesting authorities on our city. And separate sections on Aldrington, Central Hove, Hove, Brunswick, St Ann’s Well, Hangleton, Mile Oak and West Blatchington.
The Keep at Falmer is a world-class centre for archives that provides access to the collections of the East Sussex Record Office (ESRO), the records of what is now the city of Brighton and Hove, the Royal Pavilion & Museums Local History Collections and the internationally significant University of Sussex Special Collections.
The combined collections provide a detailed record of local history, dating back over 900 years. These archives document the lives of individuals, places and events from across the county and beyond, and they include written records, maps and plans, prints and drawings, photographs and films, oral histories, and digital and electronic records.
At the Keep you may be able to trace your ancestry, who lived in your Hove house, when a building was built and and the plans originally submitted for it.
A collaborative, community-based project providing information about Brighton & Hove’s historic homes and streets. Here you will find a wealth of resources to help you explore our city’s history. The website provides online access to the Brighton and Hove’s historic street and trade directories dating back to the 18th Century. . All of the pages are searchable by street name.
The Regency Town House is a grade I Listed terraced home in Brunswick Square. Dating from the mid-1820s, it is now being developed as a heritage centre and museum to focus on the architecture and social history of Brighton & Hove between the 1780s and 1840s.
Free access online to over 400,000 old maps held in various libraries and archives around the world. See for instance the 6″ OS Map of Hove for 1873
A Jewish History of Brighton and Hove
Read about the history of Jewish life in the city from 1750 to the present day and the contribution of Jews to the development of Hove
Exploring the History of Hove 