Hove actually

Brunswick Town Conservation Area actually, in the borderlands with Brighton. This part of town doesn't quite have the genteel air of parts of Hove further west and the pavements have taken a pounding.

However, in these streets north of Western Road there is a fair sprinkling of coalhole covers in designs not found in Brighton. The Hodges and Butler (from the Thames Silicated Stone Works, East Greenwich) example (top right) is in Brunswick Road, the others in Cambridge Road. The Haywards (bottom right) is an unusual 4 circles design, the Imperial Stone Co Ltd (also from the Thames Silicated Stone Works, East Greenwich) (bottom left) looks like a copy of the Hodges and Butler and the other has a lovely floral design.

Coleman Street, Brighton

Visiting my old Hanover stomping ground the other day I had to make a pilgrimage to the street that not only bears my name but also where one would most hope to find a coalhole.

And I'm pleased to report that there were a couple of remaining covers, despite multiple resurfacing of pavements.

While there was a common 'Every and Newman' design, this one was unlabelled with a pleasing symmetrical design of concentric circles and diamonds.

Wish Road, Hove

I know that Hove is a good hunting ground for coalhole covers. The genteel streets are less pounded, dug up and generally mucked about with than its brasher and seedier sister to the east.

So this Evelyn and Newman cover is a good one to start with. I particularly like the flower in the middle.

Lord North Street, London SW1

This cover is in the political heartland of Westminster, a street that Harold Wilson and many other MPs have lived in.

Of more interest to me though is that this is the first 'Smellie' cover I've come across, hailing from Rochester Row, not far away. Smellie was probably an ironmongers as it doesn't seem likely that there was a foundry there.

Queens Gardens, Brighton

A trio of interesting covers in Queens Gardens in the North Laine, including 2 from Brighton foundries - at least one them local.

The cover in the square hatched surround is by Every & Newman, Makers, Brighton.
The circular one, although a common design, is interesting because its been placed in a circular stone surround.
The Star Foundry (which was in nearby Bread Street) cover also contains the name TW Porter.

Around the Pavilion

These are near my old doctor's surgery opposite the Pavilion, outside Pavilion Buildings and on the stretch of Old Steine down to the junction with St James Street. This was one of the first I 'rubbed' back in the day. Its from a Brighton Foundry C&J Reed with a nice sunburst design. The second is from an unnamed foundry with some nice solar motifs.

The Haywards 'self locking' cover is the first I've seen of this design.

Down the A23 - Beaconsfield Road and Beaconsfield Parade, Brighton

Wandering down the A23 towards the seafront I remembered I'd seen some nice coalhole covers on Beaconsfield Parade and Beaconsfield Road (the one way bits).

On the northbound section just north of the viaduct is an unbranded 'Improved Patent Safety Plate' with a lovely sunburst motif. What's the point of patenting it if the name of the foundry isn't shown?

The second is on the southbound section outside a florists - a lovely Ashton Green floral design.