The Patcham Pylon is a monumental gateway erected in 1928 near

Patcham Patcham () is an area of the city of Brighton & Hove, about north of the city centre. It is bounded by the A27 (Brighton bypass) to the north, Hollingbury to the east and southeast, Withdean to the south and the Brighton Main Line to the wes ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, England. Designed by local architect

John Leopold Denman John Leopold Denman (15 November 1882 – 5 June 1975) was an architect from the English seaside resort of Brighton, now part of the city of Brighton and Hove. He had a prolific career in the area during the 20th century, both on his own and ...

and paid for by public subscription, it commemorated the extension of the County Borough of Brighton on 1 April 1928, and stood close to the new northern boundary. The gateway consists of two stone towers known locally as "the Pylons", with built-in seats around their bases. They still stand and are clearly visible to travellers on either carriageway of the A23 road to London. They straddle the southbound carriageway of the A23 just inside the city of

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton an ...

and are individually listed at Grade II along with the benches that were rebuilt in 1992.

History and symbolic role

The pylon was built as a symbolic gateway to Brighton and was intended to extend a welcome to travellers approaching from the north along the A23. They were commissioned by Sir Herbert Carden, a local councillor, and were unveiled on 30 May 1928. He paid £2,255 towards them, and the public raised a further £993. They stand either side of what was, at the time of construction, a single carriageway road. Because the road is now a

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

, one pylon now "stands forlornly in the central reservation, although a third was planned". In the spirit of welcome, the north face of the western tower bears the inscription: This piece of text has been described by

Paul Elmer More Paul Elmer More (December 12, 1864 – March 9, 1937) was an American journalist, critic, essayist and Christian apologist. Biography Paul Elmer More, the son of Enoch Anson and Katherine Hay Elmer, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was edu ...

as being a Welsh door verse. The pylons and seats were listed at Grade II by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

on 26 August 1999. Such buildings are considered to be "of special interest warranting every effort to preserve them", and "nationally important" buildings of "special interest". As of February 2001, they were among 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of

Architecture

The pylons are of limestone with slightly concave north and south faces. Small

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es protrude at the corners. Carvings and inscriptions include the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

of the Duke and Duchess of York, who laid the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over t ...

, the emblems of Brighton and Sussex, a female figure and a galleon. Details of the date, architect, builders, founders and other descriptive information, and a short poem, are also carved on the flat panels which are mounted on the concave faces. Next to each pylon is a seat, also made of stone and wrapping around but not touching the base. They are about off the ground, supported on small columns, and have

decorative moulding Moulding (spelled molding in the United States), or coving (in United Kingdom, Australia), is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled woo ...

. They are separately listed as Grade II.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Brighton and Hove buildings 1928 in England Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove Grade II listed monuments and memorials