75 Holland Road, Hove

The seaside resort of Brighton, on the English Channel coast, developed rapidly from the mid-18th century, and by the late 19th century it was a large town was significant regional importance as a commercial centre. Neighbouring Hove developed later in response to Brighton's growth, principally as a residential area with streets of spacious, high-quality houses. Brighton was a pioneer in the cooperative movement: it adopted Robert Owen's ideas very early, and England's first co-operative store opened on West Street in 1828. A journal, The Co-operator, was started soon afterwards by local doctor William King; it helped inspire the Rochdale Pioneers and other early cooperatives in England.…

The repository has been described as a "fine work" by the prolific Thomas Lainson. It was designed distinctively in the French Second Empire style with some Queen Anne elements. Lainson made lavish use of terracotta to decorate the building, which is mostly of red brick with slate mansard roofs. The design is U-shaped and encloses a gated courtyard. Apart from the centre bay on the Holland Road (western) elevation, which rises to four storeys with an attic storey above, the building is three-storey with attics. The Holland Road façade has nine bays in a 1:3:1:3:1 formation, the three-bay sections being slightly recessed. The outermost bays are topped by elaborate gables which hide the attic…