Palmeira Square | |
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Location | Palmeira Square, Hove, Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 50°49′33″N 0°09′49″W / 50.8259°N 0.1636°W |
Built | c. 1855–c. 1870 |
Built for | Sir Isaac Goldsmid, 1st Baronet |
Architectural style(s) | Victorian/Italianate |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | 33 Palmeira Mansions |
Designated | 18 July 1978 |
Reference no. | 1204933 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | 1–17 Palmeira Square and attached railings; 18–30 Palmeira Square and attached railings; 7–19 Palmeira Mansions; 21–31 Palmeira Mansions |
Designated | 10 September 1971; 4 February 1981 |
Reference no. | 1298646; 1187581; 1187548; 1187549 |
Location within Brighton and Hove |
Palmeira Square (/pælˈmɪərə/) is a mid-19th-century residential development in Hove, part of the English city and seaside resort of Brighton and Hove. At the southern end it adjoins Adelaide Crescent, another architectural set-piece which leads down to the seafront; large terraced houses occupy its west and east sides, separated by a public garden; and at the north end is one of Hove's main road junctions. This is also called Palmeira Square, and its north side is lined with late 19th-century terraced mansions. Commercial buildings and a church also stand on the main road, which is served by Brighton & Hove bus routes 1, 1A, N1, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, N5, 6, 25, 46, 49, 60, 71, 71A and 96.[1][2]
The land was originally occupied by "the world's largest conservatory", the Anthaeum—a visitor attraction planned by botanist, author and building promoter Henry Phillips. The giant dome's collapse and total destruction on the day it was due to open in 1833 made Phillips go blind from shock, and the debris occupied the site for many years. Work began in the early 1850s and was largely complete in the mid-1860s, although commercial and residential buildings such as Palmeira House and Gwydyr Mansions continued to be added at the northern end throughout the late 19th century. English Heritage has listed the residential buildings on the western, eastern and northern sides of the square at Grade II for their architectural and historical importance, although one building has the higher Grade II* status because of its opulent custom-designed interior.