Montpelier Crescent

Montpelier Crescent is one of Brighton’s most attractive architectural set-​pieces, located in the Seven Dials area. Unlike most of the better known crescents and squares close to the seafront, this is set at the top of Montpelier Road, and slightly post-​dates the true Georgian architectural period, dating from the early Victorian era.
The site of the Crescent was originally a cricket ground, and in 1842 Sussex played the All-​England team here. The first part of the Crescent (now numbers 7 – 31) was built in 1843 – 7 by A H Wilds, with large symmetrical houses in the classical style, decorated with fluted Corinthian or Ammonite columns. The remainder of the houses were built in the 1850s in a similar style, and the original houses enlarged. The whole crescent is listed at grade 2, with 7 – 31 at grade II*.
The green formed by the crescent has some spectacular mature trees, and forms an attractive urban space, often overlooked by those driving past. In the summer, it is well used by a wide variety of locals as a recreation area, most often for picnics and sunbathing (and occasionally by less salubrious individuals with the odd bottle of booze). But, overall, it is a dignified and elegant piece of urban design.