Clarence Square
This is the smallest of the squares. On the south west and east sides it has an attractive enclosed quality broken by views downhill to Russell Square. The relatively uniform colour and elevations of the buildings enhances this character and although the frontages of the south side are in shade for considerable periods, the enclosure is in sunlight for much of the time. None of the buildings in the square is Listed, but the facades are attractive and largely unchanged since 1853. The railings which survive around the houses are probably mainly original. The square is linked to Russell and Regency Squares and to the very attractive little enclave of Clarence Gardens. The four sides are intact and the square retains a pleasant, intimate character.
Clarence Place was first built at the north side of the present Clarence Square in 1807 and shop fronts were subsequently added to the gardens facing Western Road. The houses may have been redeveloped in the 1820s, although the evidence for this is unclear. It was not until some time between 1847 and 1852 that the remaining three sides were built to form the square. The north side was re-faced to give a relatively uniform character. The square formerly included 1840s houses on the street at the north east end but these were demolished in 1967.
The enclosure laid out at that time was illustrated in 1853 by Delamotte (below). The layout appears to have survived until World War II possibly into the 1950's, when Brighton Council took over management of the square, although the railings were removed in the 1940's. The present layout of the square comprises a small central sitting area of slabs with surrounding rose beds and semi-mature trees in the remaining area of grass.
Clarence Square from the North East - 1853
The developer of the square was probably William Lambert and it was certainly he who laid out the enclosure, leaving the freehold in trust to his wife and sons. He gave free use and enjoyment in common to houses 1-28, subject to a payment of a proportion of the expenses for the maintenance of the enclosure which included walls, fences and 'plantation' Delamotte's watercolour shows the newly-completed enclosure. There was a perimeter band of shrubs, inside which was a path accessible from gates on the north, west and east sides. Inside the path, there were triangular beds at the corners and an oval central bed. There was a lamp post at the north gates with others set within the pavements in front of the houses.
Unlike Regency and Russell squares, Clarence Square was not taken over by Brighton Corporation in the 1880s. The freehold passed through several hands to become the property of the Abbey family by the early twentieth century.
The minute book of the enclosure committee from December 1913 to June 1952 is with the deeds and gives some useful information. The landscape of the square was clearly of importance to the residents. During World War I they were reduced to cutting the grass themselves but nevertheless bought seats for the enclosure and planted summer bedding. The original trees appear to have been retained during the inter-war years, and required lopping on at least two occasions, while as the 1920s and 1930s progressed, damage to the railings from cars increased. To combat this, the wide concrete plinth on the north side was built in 1938 to keep cars away from the railings.
In 1940, during World War II, the enclosure was requisitioned, but it is not clear what the military authorities did with it. The trees were still standing at the end of the war, since the local authority was asked to cut them when the enclosure committee reassumed responsibility in 1947. The committee was unable to meet the cost of reinstatement and maintenance, and in 1952 agreed to relinquish control to the Borough of Brighton, which bought the freehold from the Abbey family.
As with so many large houses in the town, very few properties in the square remain in single ownership today, most having been divided into four or five flats.
In 2002 work was completed on re-landscaping the square and providing new cast iron railings enclosing it. The square is popular with local workers as a place to meet and eat lunch when the weather permits.