Numbers 70 And 71 And 72 And Attached Piers And Railings

Terraced houses on Marine Parade, Brighton. Early 19th century in origin, with significant remodelling: No. 70 was remodelled in 1880 by architect Robert W Edis, with builder's work carried out by Messrs. George Lynn and Sons of Marlborough Street, Brighton; Nos 71 and 72 were remodelled in a similar style around 1885.

The buildings are constructed of knapped flint with red-brick dressings. The main elevation features a third floor and attic gables hung with fishscale tiles, with the reverse pattern on the return elevation. The roof is of plain tile, and brick chimney stacks are present throughout.

The exterior comprises 4 storeys and dormers over a basement, with a 6-window range across the three units, and scattered fenestration on the return. The front wall of Nos 71 and 72 angles southwards and is not parallel with the pavement, whereas No. 70 is set well back. According to The Building News (5 March 1880), the style was described as that of "the 16th and 17th century" of an old Sussex type, executed in the Queen Anne Revival manner.

Each unit is dominated by a full-height canted bay topped by a gable; the gable to No. 70 is the largest of the three. Many original windows survive, with small-pane upper sashes and plate glass to the lower sashes. Basement windows have segmental brick arches with rusticated stone inner surrounds; some second-floor windows are camber-arched, while others have flat brick arches. Window jambs are of moulded brick. The ground floor is finished in red brick, the first floor in the same brick mixed with regularly coursed flints, the second floor in predominantly flint, and the third floor completely hung with fishscale tiles. Dormers stand on the party wall lines between the units and feature flat-arched windows and tile-hung gables. Originally a continuous first-floor verandah spanned all three units with turned and bobbin wood balusters, wood stanchions, and a tile-covered roof; surviving sections retain these features. In the 20th century, a 3-storey metal porch was added to No. 71, incorporating some original bobbin balusters. Each unit has a separate flat-arched entry reached by stairs and a terrace spanning the area, though these have been much altered. The entries have a shared level on the main elevation.

The return facade is more informal in arrangement than the main elevation, with evenly coursed knapped flint predominating and red brick restricted to window dressings, four pilaster strips, and up to eight horizontal bands, some of which are moulded to form sill bands. Near the corner stands a prominent 2-storey gabled stair tower with a brick plaque on the ground floor and a larger rectangular field on the first floor of rubbed brick depicting a field of flowers with a blank area for a now-missing lamp standard. The gable and roof are tile-hung. Adjacent to the stair tower is a segmental-arched entry with side- and overlights filled with coloured glass in lead lights and an original door. This entry is set under a porch constructed of wood bobbin balusters and chamfered wood posts supporting a gable roof with overhanging eaves and barge boards; the roof is tile-hung with a turned-wood finial at its ridge. To the left of the entry on the second and third floors is a canted bay with tripartite windows, which does not appear in Edis' 1880 perspective and may have been added during the alteration of Nos 71 and 72. A full-height gabled bay at the rear of the return differs from Edis' original sketch: the lower two storeys are canted, while the third and fourth floors are rectangular, oversailing the lower section on wooden brackets; the original drawing shows only three storeys with an oversailing top storey alone. In the roof, in line with the entry porch, stands a gabled tile-hung dormer. The stack at the outer wall of the return near the corner is decorated brick, as are stacks at the party and back walls. Nos 71 and 72 reproduce many of the features described and although they have suffered 20th-century alterations, they are included for their group value.

Interiors: The ground and first floors of No. 70 follow, according to The Building News, a plan "based upon the lines determined by the walls of the old house". No. 70 retains much original leaded and coloured glass, wall panelling, and decorative plasterwork, with a balustrade of special note combining metal and wood. No. 71's entrance foyer features coloured glass in leaded lights and decorative plasterwork ceiling. The front room of No. 72 retains original wood wall panelling with a fire surround of blue glazed terracotta tiles and a decorative plasterwork ceiling. A grey plaque adjacent to the entry of No. 72 commemorates Ivor Novello, Composer, Actor, and Author (15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951), stating that he was inspired to write from these premises.

Railings enclose the area.