Brighton Rocks

You can find pockets of quiet in the otherwise boisterous beach town of Brighton

The temperature was plummeting fast,and the winter chill was settling in. The sun began appearing more and more sparingly. Londons rooftop barbecues,however,were heating up its nightlife. Friends rallied down busy streets on weekends,high on vodka.

Word was out that Brighton,on the southern shores of Sussex,still had bright sunny days and cosy evenings. On the pretext of meeting a curator from a gallery for our upcoming exhibition,a group of friends and I boarded an early morning train from St Pancras International station.

On reaching Brighton,Kevin,our gregarious Irish mate,anointed himself the guide,taking us through the bylanes to arrive at the high street. We crossed a chain of restaurants on both sides of the high street,windowshopped at the haute couture exclusive stores,and watched idling men smoke away their time.

On the south coast of Great Britain,the ancient settlement of Brighthelmstone emerged as a health resort in the 18th century. It became a destination for day-travellers from London after the arrival of the railway in 1841. Tolerant and welcoming of the LGBT community,Brighton is often referred to as the gay capital of Britain.

We ambled towards its most iconic landmark the Brighton Pier. The sky was as blue as the sea,with a few clouds in the distance; the sun was warm,and the coastal wind brought in the fragrance of the sea and salt.

Brighton Pier,an iconic seaside Victorian location formerly known as the Palace Pier,is 1,772 ft long,filled with famous bars,fish and chips outlets,head-spinning rides,and beach chairs for families to rest while watching the sunset. Visitors and locals idled around the gravelly beach,reading books in some quiet corner or enjoying a pint at the seafront bars. The seafront also has restaurants,nightclubs,sports facilities and amusement arcades,and hosts a nudist area by Kemptown,near the easterly edge of the promenade. Amidst all the liberalist humdrum,Brighton offers calm and quiet to the travellers,a sight to dazzle their senses,and a feeling of homecoming.

One of the most spectacular places in Brighton is the Royal Pavilion,a seaside palace of the Prince Regent George IV,transformed by architect John Nash between 1815 and 1822 into one of the most dazzling and exotic buildings in the British Isles. The Pavilion houses furniture and works of art,including original pieces lent by the Queen and a magnificent display of Regency silver-gilt. During World War I,the Pavilion was transformed into a military hospital,and from November 1914 to early 1916,injured soldiers from the Imperial Indian Army were treated here. The Pavilion was partly used in imperial efforts to convince potential Indian recruits that their wounded countrymen were being well treated: a series of photographs was produced,with the official sanction of the state,showing the resplendent rooms converted into hospital wards. Lord Kitchener visited the soldiers himself,and King George V,in 1915,presented several soldiers with military honours.

We sat at the beach occasionally

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tossing pebbles into the sea. There are apparently around 61,46,00,000 pebbles

on the beach. Kevin drifted off to sleep shortly. A few young boys dived in and out of the water,while two little girls built a castle on the other end. Seagulls hovered over our heads the moment someone pulled out anything edible. As the sun set,we took shelter in the warmth of a quayside pub at the Brighton Marina,and listened

to some groovy music. It was time to return to urbanity. n

Sharbendu De is a freelance documentary photographer and writer