Brighton’s history stretches back many hundreds of years, at least to before the 11th century.

The first written record of the town appeared just after the Norman Conquest when the Domesday Book mentioned a small fishing village called “Brighthelmstone”.

Over several hundred years the village grew into a sizeable settlement, but during this time there was nothing special about the town to separate it from the many hundreds of similar towns and villages.

Then in the 18th century everything changed and the Brighton that we know today was born.

The deciding factor was the 18th century fashion for spa towns and bathing resorts. Only an hour away from the capital, Brighton was easy to reach for England’s high society, and so visitors began to flock to the town.

Then in the 1780’s the Prince Regent, later George IV, visited Brighton - and the town’s fate was sealed.

Instantly one of the most fashionable seaside resorts in the country, the next few decades saw massive development in the town, with elegant squares, crescents and parks being built all along the sea front.

The style of architecture is known today as “Regency”, from the Prince Regent’s title, and Brighton contains some of the country’s best examples of the style.

When Queen Victoria came to the throne in the 19th century, she didn’t like Brighton’s frivolous and decadent atmosphere and so she rarely visited the town.

Nevertheless Brighton remained a fashionable resort for the country’s rich and famous, and so it continued to thrive. The town’s famous pier was built in 1889 and the entertainment halls and amusement arcades quickly followed.

It was during this period that the town’s association with seaside amusements and its “kiss me quick” tradition became firmly established in the nation’s consciousness - an association that remains to this day.

By the early 20th century, Brighton was no longer the preserve of the upper classes, but it was still a popular resort, especially for workers in London who found the town easy to reach.

But by the mid 20th century Brighton started to go into decline. Cheap fares to Continental destinations meant that Britons began to travel abroad for their holidays, and so towns such as Brighton began to suffer.

Brighton began to gain a reputation for tackiness and seediness - a direct contrast to its former days as one of the country’s most elegant resorts.

Nevertheless, Brighton has an enduring appeal and indeed many visitors see this mixture of the sophisticated and the shabby as part of the town’s attraction.

The fact that the town is in such easy reach has been one of the main factor’s in Brighton’s continued survival, and today Londoners will still flock to the town in their hundreds on a sunny summer weekend.

A wonderful mixture of fun, frivolity, culture and sophistication - Brighton has something for everyone and will appeal to young and old alike.