SITUATION, SOIL, GEOLOGY, AND CLIMATE OF BRIGHTON.
Brighton is situated in 50.55{~PRIME~}. N. latitude, and about 3{~PRIME~}. W. longitude,
on the eastern side of a shallow bay of the south coast. The centre of
the town is in a valley, which at the north diverges to Preston in two
courses prominently marked by the London road and the Lewes road,
Hollingbury Hill intervening. The east and north-west portions of the
town are on acclivities, that to the east terminating abruptly at the
south in cliffs ranging from 60 to 80 feet in height; and that to the
north-west gradually sloping to the sea-shore. The southern front is
bold, and commands an extensive view of the British Channel from Beachy
Head to Selsea Bill.
The soil to the east and north-west is principally a thick substratum of
chalk, covered with a thin layer of earth. The subsoil of the centre is
marl and shingle; and to the westward there are large beds of clay of
very irregular character. Dr. Mantell, in his valuable work, "The
Geology of the South-east of England," says:--"The town of Brighton is
situated on an immense accumulation of water-worn materials, which fills
up a valley, or hollow, in the chalk. The diluvial deposit is bounded on
the north-west by the South Downs; on the east it extends to Rottingdean,
and is there terminated by the chalk; on the west it may be traced more
or less distinctly to Bignor; on the south it is washed by the sea, and
forms a line of cliffs from 70 to 80 feet high; these exhibit a vertical
section of the strata, and enable us to ascertain their nature and
position."
"The soil of the Downs," says Young in his Agricultural Survey of Sussex,
"is subject to considerable variation. On the summit it is usually very
shallow, the substratum is chalk, and over that a layer of chalk rubble,
and partially rolled chalk flints, with a slight covering of vegetable
mould. Along the more elevated ridges there is sometimes merely a
covering of flints, upon which the turf grows spontaneously. Advancing
down the hills, the soil becomes deeper, and at the bottom is constantly
found to be of very sufficient depth for ploughing: here the loam is
excellent, generally ten or twelve inches thick, and the chalk rather
broken, and mixed with loam in the interstices."
Coombe rock,--a provincial term,--which greatly abounds in and about the
eastern part of the town, is geologically known as the Elephant bed; and,
according to the same authority, "is composed of broken chalk, with
angular fragments of flint, imbedded in a calcareous mass of a yellowish
colour, constituting a very hard and coarse conglomerate. It is not
stratified, but is merely a confused heap of alluvial materials; where it
forms a junction with the shingle bed, a layer of broken shells generally
occurs: they are too fragile to extract whole: they appear to belong to
the genera modiola, mytilus, nerita, &c. It varies considerably in its
appearance and composition, in different parts of its course. In the
inferior portion of the mass, the chalk is reduced to very small pieces,
which gradually become larger in proportion to their height in the cliff:
at length fragments of flint appear; and these increase in size and
number as they approach the upper part of the bed, of which they
constitute the most considerable portion. These flints are more or less
broken, and resemble those of our ploughed lands that have been long
exposed to the action of the atmosphere. In some parts of the cliff,
irregular masses occur of an extraordinary hardness; these have been
produced by an infiltration of crystallised carbonate of lime. Large
blocks of this variety may be seen on the shore, opposite to the New
Steine, where they have for years resisted the action of the waves. This
bed also contains water-worn blocks of siliceous sandstone, and
ferruginous breccia. Small nodular masses, composed of carbonate of iron
in lenticular crystals, interspersed with brown calcareous spar, have
occasionally been found at the depth of ten or twelve feet from the
summit of the cliff. The organic remains discovered in this deposit are
the bones and teeth of the ox, deer, horse, and of the Asiatic elephant;
{6} these occur but seldom, and are generally more or less waterworn;
{7a} but, in some instances, they are quite entire, and cannot have been
subject to the action of the waves. The wells in the less elevated parts
of the town pass through the calcareous bed, shingle, and sand, in
succession; upon reaching the chalk, springs of good water burst forth,
and these are said to be influenced by the tides." {7b}
The sinking of the Warren Farm Well, at the Industrial Schools, has
formed a very interesting subject to geologists, and on the 5th of
November, 1861, the Surveyor, Mr. George Maynard, made a report to the
Directors and Guardians, as to the state of the well, wherein he "wished
it to be understood that he was neither a professor of geology nor an
hydraulic engineer." It stated that the work was commenced on the 22nd
March, 1858, and had been continued since without intermission:--"In
sinking the well (says Mr. Maynard), I have found that the different
strata perforated have been thicker than is generally set forth by
professors of, or writers upon geology, proving that the dip of the
strata is greater at this particular spot than is commonly found
elsewhere, especially the gault, which is now being perforated. I have
ascertained that the shanklin, or lower green sand, forming the bottom
portion of the glaucomic strata, appear on the surface at Henfield, and
continue near the base of the Downs as far as Albourne, thus proving,
from the depth attained, that a considerable vale is formed in the strata
between Henfield and Beachy Head. The well at the Industrial Schools
lies nearly in a direct line, and not far from the centre in distance,
between Henfield and the point at Beachy Head, at the base of which water
is continually flowing between the malm and gault strata. Hence arises
the fact of the gault stratum being so much thicker than was
contemplated; but if the shanklin, or lower green sand is reached and
penetrated, there is little doubt an ample and continuous supply of water
will be obtained, which in all probability will run up to the level of
the land at Henfield (from whence the supply will originate), or above
the bottom pump in the well. I have tested the quality of the stratum
now being penetrated, and feel persuaded that if water is obtained it
will be of a good quality. I have already reported my interview with Sir
Roderick Murchison and other professors of geology, at the Institute of
Practical Geology, in Jermyn Street, London, at which meeting I was
encouraged to hope that water would be obtained at a depth not far
distant from that which the well has already been sunk; they, at the same
time, expressing their surprise that the shanklin sand had not been
reached before, and also kindly giving me valuable information how to
proceed when that stratum was penetrated. The stratum in which the men
are at work at this present time is very soft, so much so that if boring
was determined on, it would be requisite to insert iron pipes, which, in
my opinion, would be more expensive than the present mode of digging and
steining. The depth of the well now attained is 1,080 feet."
Few organic remains have been found near Brighton. Dr. Mantell mentions
but a fragment of a bone resembling the femur, and a grinder of a large
size, decidedly the latter that of an Asiatic elephant, in the brick-loam
at Hove; the jaw of a whale in the shingle bed; the antlers and bones of
the red deer in a bed of loam, in sinking a well near the cavalry
barracks; the remains of a deer in the diluvium at Copperas Gap, by the
Rev. H. Hoper; and similar remains in digging a well near the Western
Road.
With respect to climate, medical men, who have made it their study, have
divided the town into three districts. In 1845, Dr. Wigan, then in
medical practice in the town, published an elaborate treatise, "Brighton
and its Three Climates," and in 1859, Dr. Kebbell, Physician to the
Sussex County Hospital, produced his valuable book, "The Climate of
Brighton." The former considers the north-west part of the town the most
salubrious, as it is exempt from the keen easterly winds, and is
generally free from the fogs and smoke of the central district. It is
free, too, of the marine exhalations to which that district is subject.
The air of the east division is bracing, and likewise exempt from the
saline particles which impregnate the atmosphere of the lower part of the
town, a district which differs but little from any inland town in a low
situation, and possesses none of the quality called bracing. Fogs, night
and morning, frequently hang about the middle district, which may be
termed the business quarter of the town.
Dr. Kebbell says:--
"Brighton, in respect of temperature and the sensation of cold,
offers great variety of climate according as the situations are more
or less elevated, sheltered, or exposed. The observations of myself
and others go to prove, that the elevated portions of the Montpelier
districts, in the neighbourhood of All Saints' Church, are decidedly
the coldest, being exposed to the full effects of the strong currents
of air from the Downs. After this come the north-eastern districts,
including the upper part of the Marine Parade, Kemp Town, and the
portions of the town behind them on the north side of the Bristol
Road, which are also very much exposed to the cold winds and draughts
from the downs. The central parts of the town, from the Old Steine
to St. Peter's Church, are the most sheltered from the winds; both by
the downs behind, which protect them from the north-east winds; and
by the buildings in front which break the force of the south-west
winds; but being on a level surface and enclosed between hills, it is
damper than any other part of the town; and I have noticed that in
the autumn and winter, the night mists return earlier in the
afternoon, and are dispersed later in the morning, than is the case
in the more elevated and exposed districts. The low level or valley
of the King's Road, though exposed to the full force of the
south-west-winds, is still more sheltered from the cold north-east
winds by the great mass of buildings and the hills behind, and is
decidedly the warmest and mildest part of the town, offering a very
marked contrast to the cold elevated part of the Montpelier district.
Sir James Clark speaks of the West cliff as being 'somewhat damp,'
{9} but I am at a loss to conceive how this can be so, taking into
consideration its sloping surface, the general porous character of
the soil, together with its direct exposure to the rays of the sun.
In point of warmth, the first half or third of the Marine Parade
ranks next to the valley of the King's Road. Further east, towards
Kemp Town, the air becomes colder and more bracing, and the draughts
from the downs are more keenly felt. The parts of the town between
the Western Road, and the line of Upper North Street and Montpelier
Terrace, occupy, in point of climate, an intermediate position
between the valley of the King's Road, and the cold and exposed
portion of the Montpelier district.
* * * * * *
I cannot conceive any place enjoying greater natural advantages than
Brighton, and it is incumbent on those who think it unhealthy to
state from what source the insalubrity can have its origin, always
excepting those artificial and preventable causes of disease which it
creates within itself. For upwards of half the year the inhabitants
breathe an atmosphere which has traversed the surface of several
thousand miles of the great Atlantic Ocean. This at all events must
be entirely free from all sources of disease. The staple of the land
upon which the town stands, and for several miles round, is composed
of chalk and sand, intermixed with flints, with the dip of the strata
towards the sea, which, with the absence of any dense foliage in the
surrounding district, has the effect of rendering the atmosphere of
the place remarkably dry and bracing. Neither is there any low-lying
marsh land, where the fresh and sea water mix and infect the
atmosphere, or exposure of mud at the mouths of rivers at low tide,
or, in fact, any source of malaria whatever within any distance of
the town, which can possibly to any appreciable or injurious extent
affect its atmosphere. The winds from the land side, therefore, are
probably almost, if not entirely, as healthy as those from the sea.
Brighton has also no tidal harbour, nor any exposure of mud at low
tide containing decaying vegetable matter, which at many sea-side
places, and some much frequented by the public, is not only very
offensive, but very injurious to the health." {10}