Old Steine Gardens

The Old Steine was originally an open green space with a stream in the fishing village of Brighthelmstone. Local fishermen stored their boats and allowed their nets to dry there. With the passage of time, however, the fishing community was excluded. The area was drained and enclosed, and visitors to the area used the Steine to promenade. The Old Steine transformed from an area of occupation to one devoted to recreation, in the seaside resort of Brighton. By the eighteenth century, buildings started to appear on the Old Steine. The first building to appear on the eastern side of the Steine was a circulating library built in 1760. North Street bisects Old Steine Gardens. The southern section, the southern enclosure, is roughly square in shape, and contains the Victoria Fountain and the Statue of Sir John Cordy Burrows. Following the installation of the Victoria Fountain in 1846, the surrounding parcel of land was planted with gardens. On 21 July 1880, an oak tree was planted by mayor Henry Davey in the southwestern corner of the southern enclosure to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Brighton's Sunday schools. One hundred years later, on 13 December 1980, another oak tree was planted by mayor John Leach in the southeastern corner of the southern enclosure to celebrate the bicentennial of the Sunday schools. However, that tree was one of the many casualties of a severe storm in October 1987. ==Victoria Fountain==

The Victoria Fountain is located in the centre of the southern enclosure of the Old Steine Gardens. The fountain is 9.75m (32 feet) in height and includes a large, cast-iron pool with a rim decorated with egg-and-dart mouldings. Originally, the pool was filled with water lilies and goldfish. Sarsen stones in the centre of the pool were first found in the Steine by workers digging a trench in 1823. The castings were made by the Eagle Foundry on Gloucester Road in Brighton. The foundry was owned by partners John Yearsley and Robert Williams. Their firm also installed the fountain. The Victoria Fountain was inaugurated on 25 May 1846 in celebration of the twenty-seventh birthday of Queen Victoria. The ceremony featured a royal salute fired from the pier head at noon, coordinated with the starting of the fountain. A Grade II structure is felt to be nationally important and of special interest. Restoration of the fountain commenced in 1990, and was completed before the 1995 visit of the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles unveiled a plaque commemorating the restoration of the fountain. In January 2022, it was reported that the fountain had "significant and complex structural problems and had been switched off for safety reasons". The structure is listing to one side and requires specialist work to straighten it. A 5-meter deep sinkhole appeared adjacent to the fountain in early January 2022, further calling into question the safety of the fountain and gardens surrounding it. ==Statue of Sir John Cordy Burrows==

John Cordy Burrows, eldest son of Robert Burrows and his wife Elizabeth Cordy, was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England on 5 August 1813. He was apprenticed at an early age to a surgeon, after which he studied in London at Guy's Hospital and St. Thomas' Hospital. Burrows qualified at the Society of Apothecaries in 1835. In 1836, he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Businesses closed for the funeral procession of 2,500 people, witnessed by an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 mourners. Burrows is depicted in his mayoral robes; at the base of the statue, the signature "E.B. Stephens 1878" appears. The unveiling of the statue was accompanied by music that had been composed for the occasion, and sung by members of the Brighton Sacred Harmonic Society, the same group who had sung over his grave. Following the midday inauguration of the monument, there was an evening mayoral reception at the Brighton Dome. ==Brighton War Memorial==

Brighton War Memorial is located at the south end of the northern enclosure of the Old Steine Gardens. The site was originally that of the statue of George IV but that monument was transferred to the North Gate of the Royal Pavilion. The monument was unveiled by Admiral David Beatty on 7 October 1922. ==Egyptian Campaign Memorial==

The Egyptian Campaign Memorial of the Royal Sussex Regiment is located at the far northern tip of the northern enclosure of the Old Steine Gardens. The plaque on the north side of the obelisk has an inscription which dedicates the monument. It reads: "Erected By The Officers, N.C. Officers And Men 1st Bn "Royal Sussex" Regt. To The Memory Of Their Comrades Who Were Killed In Action Or Who Died Of Wounds Or Of Disease Contracted During The Egyptian Campaign 1882 And Nile River Expedition 1884–85." On the north face of the lower section, the base of the obelisk, the word "Egypt" is in raised letters. On the south face of the base, the word "Abu-klea" is in raised letters. He arrived in February 1884. However, rebel activity increased, and other British forces were eventually withdrawn from Sudan by May 1884. General Gordon organised the defence of Khartoum, and the British public began to demand a relief expedition. However, the British government did not decide to assist Gordon until August 1884. Some believe that the delay was due to the prime minister's anger at Gordon for apparently disobeying his orders, and not completing the evacuation. In late August, a request was relayed to the governor-general of Canada that a detachment of Canadian voyageurs be organised and sent to Africa to participate in the mission. It was not until almost November that the Nile Expedition, the British and Canadian relief force, was ready. The expedition was attacked by Sudanese rebels at Abu-Klea; the Battle of Abu-klea was fought on 17 January 1885. When the expedition arrived in Khartoum on 28 January 1885, the city had already fallen two days previously and General Gordon had been killed. The monument was erected by the officers and men of the First Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1888. The Egyptian Campaign Memorial was protected as a Grade II listed structure on 20 August 1971. == References ==