Madeira Terrace

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Coordinates: 50°49′07″N 0°07′47″W / 50.8187°N 0.1297°W / 50.8187; -0.1297
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Madeira Terrace, Madeira Walk, Madeira Lift, and Madeira Shelter Hall are an 865 m long, Victorian cast iron stretch of seafront arches and walkway, with integral former shelter hall and a 3-stage lift tower, on Madeira Drive in Brighton, UK. The complex was built between 1890 and 1897 and designed by the Brighton Borough Surveyor, Philip C. Lockwood. The various structures have a common design style and colour scheme, and form a unified whole. Madeira Terrace, Madeira Walk, the lift tower and related buildings are listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England, having been upgraded in 2020.[1]

As of 2021 the terrace is in a state of disrepair and at risk of collapse. The entire length of Madeira Walk, the upper deck and some of the staircases have been closed to the public since 2012.

Madeira Terrace and Madeira Walk[edit]

Madeira Terrace (2011).

Madeira Terrace is a 2,837-by-25-foot (864.7 m × 7.6 m) covered walkway at the foot of East Cliff, stretching from the Colonnade, Madeira Drive to the west, to Duke's Mound in the east. It faces south toward the sea and stands against the cliff behind.[1]

The terrace and walkway are decorated with cast iron balustrades and there are 151 separate arches. Decorations include keystones depicting possibly Neptune, Venus, and dragons.[1][2][3] The walkway has four shelters along its length, each with a roof. There are also numerous cast-iron benches.[1]

"There are also five sets of steps along the length of the complex which give access to all three levels. At the western extent there is a ramp from the beach level up to the promenade. The ramp has commercial units within its brick arches. The last cast-iron arch to the western side is also brick-faced".[1] Later in the twentieth century a former public toilet was added, half in-filling the preceding four arches.[1]

The Brighton Borough Surveyor Philip C. Lockwood (1821–1908) was responsible for the whole structure, which was finished in 1897. It was constructed in three phases from 1890 and is one of the longest cast-iron structures in the world,[4][5] intended to "facilitate the act of promenading."[6]

"The critical part of the Terrace's structure are the massive north south cast iron trusses that are supported by the retaining wall and the cast iron columns along the front elevation."[7] The wall was constructed in 1830 to hold back the unstable cliff face and to enable construction of the A259 Marine Parade road.[7] "These trusses are very dependant on the fixity provided by the wall and to ensure this fixity they are buried deep into the wall."[7]

As of 2021 the terrace is in a state of disrepair and at risk of collapse.[8][9][10][11] The entire length of Madeira Walk and the upper deck, and some of the staircases, has been closed to the public since 2012.[12] Only 5 of the 133 trusses have any significant fractures.[7] In 2015 it was identified by The Victorian Society as one of the top ten at-risk Victorian and Edwardian buildings.[13][14][15] The Save Madeira Terrace crowdfunding campaign raised £466,000 to restore 3 arches.[16][17][18] As of 2020, Brighton and Hove City Council had secured funds to restore an as yet unspecified series of 30 of the arches.[19]

Madeira Walk and a staircase (2008).

Madeira Lift[edit]

Madeira Lift from Marine Parade (2018).
Madeira Lift with the exit onto the terrace walkway (2009).

Toward the east of the terrace, in Kemptown, Madeira Lift is an ornamental Victorian lift or elevator which opened on 24 May 1890. The 3-stage lift tower links Madeira Drive at beach level, to Marine Parade above, with an intermediate stop at the terrace walkway. At its base it opens into Madeira Shelter Hall, which is currently occupied by the Concorde 2 music venue.

The lift tower has a pagoda-style roof and a weather vane depicting a dolphin. The top stage of the lift tower originally had a square-faced, projecting clock, but this is no longer in place.[1] The top section is surrounded to the east, west and south by a square platform with a railing.[1] The lift has sliding, metal grille-type doors and is timber-lined and functional.[1]

The lift was closed to the public in July 2007, and major work was carried out on the lift mechanisms and shaft. It reopened in April 2009.[20][21] Later, it was closed again and its exterior at marine Parade restored, reopening in 2013.[21]

The lift previously operated without the intermediate stop, throughout the summer—closing on the last weekend of September each year. It is operated by Concorde 2 on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council.[22] As of 2023, it is now closed indefinitely pending future repairs to the shaft of the lift. [23]

Thieves stripped various shelters and the roof of the lift of over 10 tonnes of lead and copper in December 2019.[24]

Madeira Shelter Hall[edit]

Madeira Shelter Hall (now Concorde 2) and related buildings (2018).

Madeira Shelter Hall, also known as Eastern Shelter Hall, is the single-storey shelter hall for the lift. "It has a projecting 11-window centre bay, with recessed wings of seven bays to either side."[1] In the 1800s it was also tea rooms. Later it was a bikers' cafe in the 1960s; an amusement arcade in the 1970s; opening as the Concorde 2 on New Year's Eve 1999—a 600-capacity music venue that remains in use.[25][26]

Gallery[edit]

  • The ramp at the west end (2002).
    The ramp at the west end (2002).
  • The walkway and shelters (2005).
    The walkway and shelters (2005).
  • The east end of the walkway (2009).
    The east end of the walkway (2009).
  • A section of the walkway and a staircase (2016).
    A section of the walkway and a staircase (2016).
  • Madeira Terrace (2019).
    Madeira Terrace (2019).

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Historic England. "Madeira Terrace and Madeira Walk and Lift Tower and Related Buildings, Madeira Drive (Grade II) (1381696)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  2. ^ Antram & Morrice 2008, p. 129.
  3. ^ Collis 2010, p. 192.
  4. ^ "The most endangered buildings in Britain – in pictures". The Guardian. 15 September 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  5. ^ Southworth, Phoebe (15 October 2020). "Brighton's Madeira Terrace: Britain in danger of losing world's longest cast iron structure". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Thirty Madeira Terraces arches set to be restored". 12 June 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d "Madeira Terrace lost in retail/leisure madness". brighton-society.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Brighton seafront Madeira Terraces 'at risk of collapse'". BBC News. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Brighton homeless under crumbling Madeira Terraces". BBC News. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Brighton's Madeira Terrace restoration 'simple', Victorian Society says". BBC News. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Crumbling Madeira Terrace could be saved with £13.4 million investment". ITV News. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Madeira Terrace restoration". www.brighton-hove.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Maev (16 September 2015). "Victorian Society reveals its top 10 endangered buildings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Pier and boat store on top 10 at-risk buildings". BBC News. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. ^ "The 'Welsh Versailles' lies derelict and unloved – and no-one knows who owns it". The Independent. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Crowdfunding bid to save Brighton's seafront terraces". BBC News. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Crowdfunding raises £466k to save Brighton's seafront terraces". BBC News. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ "People power: how cash-strapped councils are turning to crowdfunding". The Guardian. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  19. ^ "First designs approved to restore seafront arches after 'years of neglect'". The Argus. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Victorian seafront lift reopened". 12 April 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Brighton's Victorian Madeira lift revamped". BBC News. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Brighton woman launches online petition in campaign to keep Madeira Lift open in winter months". The Argus. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Madeira Terrace's Victorian lift will not reopen this summer". 2023.
  24. ^ "£10,000-worth of damage to historic Brighton seafront buildings after lead and copper stolen". The Independent. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Seafront music venue celebrates twenty years in business". The Argus. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  26. ^ "The gig venue guide: Concorde 2, Brighton". The Guardian. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2021.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Antram, Nicholas; Morrice, Richard (2008). Brighton and Hove. Pevsner Architectural Guides. London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12661-7.
  • Collis, Rose (2010). The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton. (based on the original by Tim Carder) (1st ed.). Brighton: Brighton & Hove Libraries. ISBN 978-0-9564664-0-2.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madeira Terrace, Madeira Walk and Lift, Brighton.

50°49′07″N 0°07′47″W / 50.8187°N 0.1297°W / 50.8187; -0.1297

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