Foredown Tower
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Foredown_Tower.jpg/200px-Foredown_Tower.jpg)
![Foredown Tower is located in Brighton & Hove](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/BrightonHove_OSM1.jpg/250px-BrightonHove_OSM1.jpg)
![Foredown Tower](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png)
Foredown Tower is a former water tower in Portslade, in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, that now contains one of only two operational camera obscuras in southeast England.[1]
Built in 1909 as a water tower for Foredown Hospital, an isolation sanatorium for patients with infectious diseases, the structure was left standing when the hospital was demolished in 1988–89. After the installation of the camera obscura, which is located in a cupola at the top of the tower and projects images of the surrounding area onto a dish below, it was opened to the public in 1991.[2]
The structure was operated as the Foredown Tower Countryside Centre by Brighton & Hove City Council's Museums & Libraries department until 2008, when the Conservative council decided it was "not economically viable as a visitor attraction".[3] The council announced that the tower would be leased to the local Hove and Adur Sea Cadets for use as a base, with the intention that access to the camera obscura would be preserved.[4]
Despite these changes, the tower served as the meeting place of the Foredown Tower Astronomers,[5] an astronomical society that conducted classes and demonstrations at the site, using the camera obscura to observe the sky both by day and night, until January 2010.
The local council then investigated potential links with community organisations,[6] and in September 2011 it was announced that the tower would be used as an adult learning and visitor centre under the administration of Portslade Learning Community CIC[7] (now the Portslade Adult Learning CIC), which initially opened the tower sporadically for special events and short courses.[8] In June 2012, the Foredown Tower Learning and Visitor Centre was reopened to the general public, with demonstrations of the camera obscura scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays and the last Saturday of the month.[8]
References
- ^ "City News March 2008". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ Robert Stuart Nemeth. "Foredown Tower". Hove Civic Society. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "City News November 2009". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "City News October 2008". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "History of the Group". Foredown Tower Astronomers. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "Foredown Tower Countryside Centre". Brighton & Hove Council. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Portslade water tower to open doors for first time in three years". The Argus. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Foredown Tower Learning and Visitor Centre". Brighton & Hove City Council. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
External links
Media related to Foredown Tower at Wikimedia Commons
- Portslade Adult Learning website
50°51′01″N 0°12′57″W / 50.8504°N 0.2159°W / 50.8504; -0.2159
- v
- t
- e
- Conservation areas
- Listed buildings: Grade I
- Grade II*
- Grade II: A–B
- C–D
- E–H
- I–L
- M
- N–O
- P–R
- S
- T–V
- W–Z
![Royal Pavilion](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Brighton_Royal_Pavilion.jpg/90px-Brighton_Royal_Pavilion.jpg)
![Regency Square (north side)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/26%E2%80%9337_Regency_Square%2C_Brighton_%28IoE_Code_481129%29.jpg/90px-26%E2%80%9337_Regency_Square%2C_Brighton_%28IoE_Code_481129%29.jpg)
![Hove Club](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Hove_Club%2C_28_Fourth_Street%2C_Hove_%28IoE_Code_365527%29.jpg/90px-Hove_Club%2C_28_Fourth_Street%2C_Hove_%28IoE_Code_365527%29.jpg)
![Van Alen Building](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Van_Alen_Building%2C_Marine_Parade%2C_Brighton.jpg/90px-Van_Alen_Building%2C_Marine_Parade%2C_Brighton.jpg)
![An ammonite capital](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Ammonite_Capital_at_Montpelier_Crescent%2C_Brighton.jpg/90px-Ammonite_Capital_at_Montpelier_Crescent%2C_Brighton.jpg)
- List of places of worship (see list for links to individual articles)
- List of demolished places of worship
and mansions
- Adelaide Mansions
- Chartwell Court
- Courtenay Gate
- Embassy Court
- Fife House
- French Convalescent Home
- Grand Ocean, Saltdean
- Gwydyr Mansions
- 75 Holland Road
- Marine Gate
- Marlborough House
- Moulsecoomb Place
- New England Quarter
- Ovingdean Grange
- Ovingdean Rectory
- Patcham Place
- Pelham Institute
- Percy and Wagner Almshouses
- Portslade Manor (ruined)
- Preston Manor
- Regency Town House
- Southdown House
- Stanmer House
- Sussex Heights
- Tower House
- Van Alen Building
- Western Pavilion
squares and
terraces
- Adelaide Crescent
- Arundel Terrace
- Bedford Square
- Belgrave Place
- Bloomsbury Place
- Brunswick Town
- Eastern Terrace
- Hanover Crescent
- Kemp Town
- Lansdowne Square
- Marine Square
- Montpelier Crescent
- New Steine
- Norfolk Square
- Norfolk Terrace
- Old Steine
- Oriental Place
- Palmeira Square
- Park Crescent
- Pelham Square
- Powis Square
- Regency Square
- Roundhill Crescent
- Royal Crescent
- Russell Square
- Vernon Terrace
- Wykeham Terrace
buildings
civic buildings
- BHASVIC
- Brighton General Hospital
- Brighton Law Courts
- Brighton Town Hall
- Hove Library
- Hove Town Hall
- Hove Trial Centre
- Jubilee Library
- Kings House
- Ovingdean Hall School
- Police Convalescent Seaside Home (former)
- Preston Barracks
- Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital
- Royal Sussex County Hospital
- The Keep
- The Montefiore Hospital
- University of Brighton
- University of Sussex
- Varndean College
- Schools: List of former board schools
- Blatchington Mill School
- Brighton Aldridge Community Academy
- Brighton and Hove High School
- Brighton College
- Brighton College Preparatory School
- Cardinal Newman RC School
- Deepdene School
- Dorothy Stringer School
- Hove Park School
- King's School
- Longhill High School
- Ovingdean Hall School
- Patcham High School
- Portslade Aldridge Community Academy
- Roedean School
- St Aubyns School
- Varndean School
- Hotels: Bedford
- Clarence
- Grand (1984 bombing)
- Metropole
- Norfolk
- Old Ship
- Royal Albion
- Royal York
- Inns and pubs: The Cricketers
- Freemasons Tavern
- Hangleton Manor Inn
- King and Queen
- Prince Albert
- Royal Pavilion Tavern
and leisure
- The Arch
- Blind Tiger Club (former)
- Brighton Aquarium (Sea Life Brighton)
- Brighton Centre
- Brighton Marina
- Brighton Wheel (removed)
- Falmer Stadium
- King Alfred Centre
- Medina House (demolished)
- Pryzm
- Revenge
- Royal Pavilion
- Saltdean Lido
- Withdean Stadium
- Museums: Booth Museum
- Brighton Fishing Museum
- Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
- Brighton Toy and Model Museum
- British Engineerium
- Hove Museum and Art Gallery
- Cinemas and theatres: ABC Cinema (former)
- Astoria (demolished)
- Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts
- Brighton Dome and Studio (Pavilion) Theatre
- Brighton Hippodrome (former)
- Duke of York's Picture House
- Komedia
- Marlborough Pub and Theatre
- Old Market
- Open Air Theatre
- Regent Cinema (demolished)
- Theatre Royal
- Brighton Palace Pier
- Royal Suspension Chain Pier (demolished)
- West Pier
- Anthaeum (demolished)
- Barford Court
- Chattri
- Church Street Drill Hall (former)
- Clock Tower
- 11 Dyke Road
- Foredown Tower
- Hove War Memorial
- i360
- Madeira Terrace
- North Gate of the Royal Pavilion
- Patcham Pylons
- Peace Statue
- Pepper Pot
- Ralli Hall
- St Dunstan's
- Sassoon Mausoleum
- Statue of Queen Victoria, Hove
- Steine House (YMCA)
- Waste House
- Whitehawk Hill transmitting station
- Charles Busby
- Clayton & Black
- John Leopold Denman
- Thomas Lainson
- John Nash
- Gilbert Murray Simpson
- Thomas Simpson
- Basil Spence
- Amon Henry Wilds
- Amon Wilds