First Base Day Centre

The First Base Day Centre, originally built in 1766, stands on Montpelier Place, Brighton. It began as the ballroom of the Castle Tavern, designed by John Crunden. In 1822, it became the chapel of the Royal Pavilion, and was relocated to its current site in 1852. The prominent pedimented front and lantern, but not the single-storey porch, date from 1852 and were designed by Cheeseman. Further remodelling occurred in 1889 by Arthur Blomfield. The building has subsequently served as St Stephen’s church and a centre for the Deaf and Dumb, becoming a Day Centre in 1988 after which it suffered a fire and was restored.

The exterior presents a pedimented facade to Montpelier Place. The front is divided into three bays by Doric pilasters, with a plain architrave and dentilled pediment. An octagonal lantern sits at the peak, with a lead-sheathed lower section and an open arcade above, beneath a tent-like roof. The return elevations feature round-arched windows and transepts, the western one being relatively shallow. A single-storey extension with flat-arched features is located to the east.

The interior, designed in the Adam style, is a single principal space. Walls feature pilasters decorated with griffins, urns, palmettes and repeating calyx forms, topped with palm-leaf capitals. Pilasters and columns create recessed areas, arranged distyle in antis. An entablature features a frieze of urns enclosed in ovals, which is missing in the southwest corner. The segmental-arched ceiling is adorned with three large roses of acanthus ornament.