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, 1904–1998, was a local collector with a passion for the streets of Brighton and Hove, and, as time went on, further afield.
Working all his life in insurance, his initial collection of stamps gave way to local topographical photographs with the chance acquisition in the 1950s of a few images of Western Road. From then on he built up a massive collection: many of the entries are copies, exchanged with other collectors, others are views that he purchased or, more recently, that he commissioned.


Although there is today a strong general interest in old photographs, both for their factual content and also for their artistic value, when James Gray started his collection there was little:we must be grateful that he had the foresight and the single minded dedication to assemble this unique record of our City.

Upon his death, the Regency Society purchased the collection, and with help from our sponsors, has digitised it, to make it available to all, as James Gray wished.
There are 39 Volumes in all, (a typical one is shown
) some 7500 annotated photographs, sub-divided into areas of the city.

JG02110a

JG02162a

JG02179a

JG02181a

JG02187a

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JG01026a

JG01040a

This site and contents are owned by The Regency Society of Brighton and Hove, UK. All commercial rights restricted.
Please contact the Society for details.

This external website gives an excellent overview of the history of photography in Brighton.

Looking for a particular building, street or date?


All the accompanying comments and descriptions are those made by James Gray.

Download the Information Leaflet

Volume 1:The Seafront
224 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Duncan McNeill
The Seafront, Hove Boundary, Russell Street, Metropole Hotel excluding West Pier and Grand Hotel.

Volume 2:The Seafront
219 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was
sponsored by Lavender Jones and Duncan McNeill

The Seafront, West Pier, Grand Hotel, Seafront,
Russell Street to West Street.

Volume 3:The Sea Front
211 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society
West Street to Queens Hotel

Volume 4:The Seafront
191 Photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Ulla Dunlop in memory of her husband Dr Ian Dunlop
The Seafront, Grand Junction Road, Palace Pier, Aquarium

Volume 5:The Sea Front
185 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Robert Edwards
Chain Pier, Madeira Drive

Volume 6:The Sea Front
180 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society

Marine Parade to Black Rock

Volume 7:The Old Town
148 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Brighton Society
West Street, Middle Street(part), Clock Tower

Volume 8:The Old Town
120 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society

Middle Street, Duke Street, Boyces Street, Ship Street,
Prince Albert Street, Black Lion Street, Nile Street, Market Street

Volume 9:The Old Town
138 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Brighton Town Press

Market Street, Bartholomews, The Lanes, Town Hall, Brighton Place, Pool Valley, Old Steine (early ones)

Volume 10:The Old Town
165 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Peggy Robinson

Old Steine, Royal Pavilion

Volume 10a:London Road Area
181 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society

London Road, All streets west to railway above York Hill,
New England Road

Volume 11:Hove East
207 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Yvonne and Michael Ray
From Brighton Boundary to Selborne Road including Sea Front but excluding Church Road

Volume 12:Hove Central
188 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society

From Grand Avenue to Hove Street

Volume 13:Hove Central
155 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored
in memory of Phyl and Eddie Edwards

Church Road, George Street, Hova Villas, Ventnor Villas,
Town Hall, Cliftonville Church

Volume 14:Hove Central
163 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society and in memory of Elaine Violet Baird, Reference Librarian, Brighton by her colleagues.

From Wilbury Road to Sackville Road including
Blatchington Road area

Volume 15:Hove West
165 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Hove Civic Society and The Regency Society

West from Hove Street to Kingsway

Volume 16:Hove North West
156 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society
West from Sackville Road above New Church Road, north of the Railway, west of Nevill Road, Goldstone Farm and Ground

Volume 17:Hove North East
150 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society

From Brighton Boundary to the top of Dyke Road Avenue

Volume 18:Preston Area
248 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Preston Village Millenium Project and
The Preston and Old Patcham Society
Preston Road, Preston Village, Preston Park, Railway Line & Station

Volume 19:Western Road
167 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Montpelier and Clifton Hill Association

Western Road

Volume 20:Ditchling Road
214 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
a number of individual donors.

The Level, Sylvan Hall, Hollingdean Estate, Preston Drove,
Balfour Road

Volume 21:North Street
176 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Brighton Society and others.

Dyke Road, Queens Square, Princes Place, North Street

Volume 22:Eastern Brighton (Inner)
212 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Brighton Town Press

Edward Street, Streets between Eastern Road and
Kemp Town Station

Volume 23:Eastern Brighton (Outer)
212 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was
sponsored by Friends of Irene Mary Laney

Eastern Road, Brighton College, County Hospital, Manor Farm, Whitehawk, Black Rock, Rottingdean Road

Volume 24:East Central Area
195 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Duncan McNeill
The Old Slums between Edward Street and Sussex Street,
Queens Park and surrounding area, Tillstone Street.

Volume 25:North Central Brighton
268 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Gavin Henderson,
in memory of his father, Magnus Reginald 'Jock' Henderson.
North Street to York Hill,all streets between,West of Central Valley and London Road

Volume 26:North Western Brighton
262 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Anne Moncrieff
Dyke Road Avenue to ClockTower, Seven Dials, All roads west of Dyke Road to Hove Boundary above Western Road

Volume 27:North Eastern Brighton
172 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was
sponsored by Lavender Jones and Duncan McNeill

Sussex Street, Richmond Street, Albion Hill, Elm Grove, Racecourse, Lewes Road (East Side)

Volume 28:Lewes Road Area
224 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society
Lewes Road, Cemeteries, Moulsecoomb, Bevendean,
Hodshrove Farm, Coldean

Volume 29:West Brighton
228 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Square Area Society

From the Clock Tower west to the Hove Boundary
below Western Road

Volume 30:Central Valley
175 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society
From the Dome to St Peter’s Church, Marlborough Place,
Grand Parade, Gloucester Place, St George’s Place

Volume 31:The Station Area
235 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Frances and Martin Lindsay-Hills.
That segment from the Dials across to the Station, East of Dyke Road, including Queens Road

Volume 32:Rottingdean & Saltdean
206 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Edward Goring, Rottindean Parish Council and Rottingdean Preservation Society.
Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe, “Daddy Longlegs”

Volume 33:Greater Brighton
228 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Regency Society
Roedean, Ovingdean, Woodingdean, Stanmer, Falmer, Saddlescombe, Poynings, Fulking, The Downs

Volume 34:Withdean
226 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Preston and Old Patcham Society
Preston Road, London Road, Westdene, Tongdean Lane Area

Volume 35:Patcham Old Village
200 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by various benefactors of the collection.
London Road, Farms, Waterworks, Church Hill, Standean,
The Chattri

Volume 36:Hove West Blatchington Area
158 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
The Friends of West Blatchington Mill
West Blatchington Area, including Nevill Road, Stadium,Waterworks and houses south-west of the copse.

Volume 37:Hangleton
193 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by Ian Farrell, Chairman, Hangleton Harbinger.
Hangleton Farm, and later housing, Gibbets Farm, Devils Dyke, The Dyke Railways

Volume 38:Portslade
185 photographs
The digitisation of this volume was sponsored by
Carolyn and Richard Williams, Judy Pratt, Trevor Povey
and Ian Farrell, members of the Portslade Local History Group.
Southwick, Shoreham, The Harbour and The Canal

Regency Society