Brighton is situated on the
English Channel coast at a point where several valleys meet the sea. One of these was formed by the flow of the
Wellesbourne, a
winterbourne which came to the surface at
Patcham. The intermittent flow of the stream created a boggy, marshy area of land around which the old village of Brighthelmstone developed. Just before entering the sea, it formed a small pool. As demand for land grew in the late 18th century during a period of rapid growth, the Wellesbourne was diverted into a
culvert and built over: the
Prince of Wales and the
Duke of Marlborough paid for this. Pool Valley connected the south end of
Old Steine and the seafront. Old Steine (or The Steine) was the name now given to the marshy valley bottom previously used by fishermen drying their nets, and for the growing of hemp: it had been drained, and by 1790 it formed the focal point of the growing town of Brighton. railings were built around the land; and the fishermen were evicted. As soon as the new road opened, buildings were built on both sides. In 1845, the business was run as a bakery and shop by Sarah Streeter. Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of
70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of
Brighton and Hove. ==Architecture==