Regency Square, Brighton

Regency Square in Brighton is a prominent early 19th-century residential development located on the seafront of the city, now part of Brighton and Hove. This grand architectural project was the brainchild of the developer Joshua Hanson, who envisioned the square as Brighton was rapidly evolving into a fashionable seaside resort. Constructed between 1818 and 1832, Regency Square consists of a three-sided "set piece" of 69 houses, most of which were completed by 1824. The site, formerly known as Belle Vue Field, became a prestigious address attracting the social elite of the time.

Regency Square is notable for its architectural significance, with most of its buildings designated as Listed buildings due to their historical and cultural importance. Forty-seven houses are listed at Grade II*, a designation that highlights their particular national importance and architectural interest. An additional eighteen houses, a war memorial, a nearby inn, and a set of bollards outside the inn are listed at the slightly lower Grade II status.

The square’s most historically significant buildings include the entire west side, listed in 1952, which comprises Saint Albans House, designed by Amon Henry Wilds with interior design carried out by William Izard, and a series of houses from numbers 2–20. The northern side's central section (numbers 26–37) and the surviving original houses on the east side (numbers 51–66) are also listed as Grade II*. Notably, the house at the southwest corner, originally part of Regency Square but now numbered as part of King's Road, shares this Grade II* status.

Later developments in the square include the construction of Abbotts, a small block of flats at the southeast corner, built in 1961–62 by Fitzroy Robinson & Partners. This modern building replaced three original Regency Square houses, which had been converted into a hotel in the early 20th century. Despite these changes, Regency Square remains a significant architectural and historical landmark in Brighton, embodying the elegance and social prestige of its early 19th-century origins.