Madeira drive

by

The future of Maderia Drive – it’s in all our hands…and an important clue

Building Green attended an important first meeting about the future of Madeira Drive recently.

The Council hosted the meeting, and invitees included a number of community organisations like ours, local businesses, interested residents and others. There were some big names in the room, which bodes well for the level of interest in regenerating the neglected East Brighton seafront.

Building Green spoke about the value and importance of the Madeira Drive Green Wall, which contributes vital natural heritage alongside the built heritage of the seafront. We will be offering the expertise the support of our volunteers to ensure the green wall is protected and enhanced as part of any future development.

The meeting discussed the new crowdfunding appeal – to be launched soon – plans and suggestions for future development, and ‘meanwhile’ uses to bring much needed life, recreation and business activity to Madeira Drive.

On our way to the meeting, we stopped off at the Fishing Museum and found a woodcut that offers an important clue to the founding of the green wall. For some time, Building Green has been looking for evidence of when the wall was first planted (with Japanese Spindle). Our hunch was that it was earlier than 1880, though the only documentary evidence points to 1882 (JB Evison 1969 ‘Gardening by the sea’). Well, I know you’re holding your breath, so…the woodcut print was published in 1872 and seems to show evenly spaced shrubs planted along the footing of the cliff. How exciting!

IMG_1786IMG_1787

For a full history of our wonderful Madeira Drive, visit our unique page.

by

Who’s got the biggest green wall?

Is this a very male question? Maybe, but I was struck by the claims from the National Grid that their new car park green wall is the largest in Europe! Is our very own Madeira Drive green wall bigger and better?

carpark15040280045

National Grid car park, Warwick

The National Grid boasts “a living wall of 1027 sq.m, making this Europe’s largest. The Living wall is home to over 97,000 plants of over 20 different species“. Undoubtedly impressive stuff.

carpark15040280050

Madeira Drive’s green wall by comparison – planted by the Victorians along the East Cliff in c1880 – was approximately 20 metres high and 1.2 kilometres long when at its very best in the 1980s. 24,000 m2 in extent.

Now, substantially diminished with gaps where plants have died and not been replaced, the wall is – and I’m guessing here – very approximately a quarter of its former extent. Still 6000 m2 though!

Building Green and the Ecology Consultancy surveys have found 100 species of plant on the wall.

So sorry, National Grid – it appears our green wall is bigger than yours after all!

Madeira Drive A5 leaflet Building Green 1509

Maybe we need to amend the flyer now to say ‘The oldest and longest green wall in Europe!’.

Lopping and chopping…Portslade Green Gym in action
Happy Green Gymers after a hard morning’s work at Madeira Drive green wall
Madeira Drive green wall and Duke’s Mound from the air, 1935
by

Make a little bird house in your soul – another successful green roof course!

IMG_1614

Happy green roofers – with Building Green and Organic Roofs

Building Green and Organic Roofs hosted another crew of enthusiastic eco warriors in May, on the green roof training course we run with Brighton Permaculture Trust.

We had talks, project consultancy, green roofed bird house building, and tours of Madeira Drive historic green wall, Crew Club wildflower green roof and Level Cafe green roof in the centre of town.

Here are some pictures – they speak for themselves!

We are planning something even bigger and better next time, so watch this space.

Talks at Organic Roofs HQ
Making bird houses with green roofs, to understand hands on the components of green roofing
Completed bird houses and proud people!
Learning about green roofs in the flesh – the good and the less good
Learning about green walls – Madeira Drive’s historic green wall

 

by

Taking stock on the Brighton cliffs – new hopes?

Brighton & Hove cliffs are home to hoary stock – Matthiola incana – a nationally scarce plant that likes warm south facing coasts. I love the fact that another common name for the plant is ‘hopes‘.

Hoary stock

Whilst there is some debate about its ancestry – is it native, but what does that mean anyway? – it is listed in the citation for the Brighton to Newhaven Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England listed this SSSI in 2014 as ‘unfavourable recovering’ – it’s of variable quality no doubt but the section I explored as far as Roedean from the marina was very eutrophic (thanks, dog owners) and devoid of much particular diversity on first glance…except for the very cliff edge where I spied a few small patches closer to chalk grassland and even a few lone orchids.

Hoary stock on the cliffs above Brighton Marina

Hoary stock on the cliffs above Brighton Marina – part of the Brighton to Newhaven Site of Special Scientific Interest

A run along there recently shows it in its purple and white forms – and even a combination variegated form I hadn’t seen before (just visible on the right hand side of this photo)!

It was good to see large hoary stock plants along parts of the Madeira Drive green wall as well – where it is one of 100 species that have been recorded in this historic green wall wildlife site.

IMG_1523

Hoary stock at Madeira Drive green wall, Brighton

Richard Mabey, in his Flora Britannica, says hoary stock:

“…is possibly a rare native of the southern chalk cliffs, now probably confined to Sussex and Isle of Wight, and is the parent of the garden stocks. In the wild it has short sprays of large, deep violet flowers [or white, or a combination!] with a clove-like fragrance, which produce seed-pods often more than four inches long. It was developed into the strain of ‘Brompton stocks’ in the eighteenth century at the Brompton Road nursery in London”.

By the way, it especially smells of cloves at night – but be careful on the cliff tops if you’re going to take a sniff! Other names it is known by include:

Brompton Stock
cluster-leaved stock
common stock
gilliflower
hopes
queen’s stock
wallflower stock.

by

Impressions of Madeira Drive by Vincenzo Donlini

16121661_10154915938401703_520660145_o

Vincenzo Donlin

Local artist Vincenzo Donlini has created some atmospheric images of Madeira Drive. Featuring the terraces, the beach and the green wall, they are full of light, colour and texture. Visit his website.

These paintings were made on site in 2015 – not from photos – so tell of a time before ‘dereliction’. Postcards etc are available from the website.

by

The story of ‘Maddy’ – Brighton’s historic Madeira Drive

Brighton & Hove Building Green have published a history of ‘Maddy’ – our beloved seafront road in East Brighton which is home to the oldest and longest green wall in the UK.

It’s a story of Victorian invention, bringing together technology, engineering, the environment and health and enjoyment.

Visit the Madeira Drive page to find out more.

den07

Hello Sailor! Promenading the ‘famous Madeira Terrace on Madeira Drive

by

Crowdfunding appeal launched for Madeira Terraces

Madeira Terraces, home to the longest continuous ironwork structure in the UK and the longest and oldest green wall, are derelict.

‘People Power called upon to help save Madeira Terraces.‘

Brighton Council has launched a historic crowdfunding appeal to restore them, and regenerate this neglected part of the seafront as part of the ‘Lockwood Project’.

Leader Warren Morgan said:

“We will harness the city’s energy, creativity and affection for the Terraces to get the project off the ground. At the same time we will leave no stone unturned, seeking every possible avenue of funding from government and other sources.

“We want to inspire private and corporate investors to join us in saving a nationally-important structure on one of the world’s most recognisable seafronts by the much loved pebble beach. I’m not giving up on this. We’re determined to find a way of funding the restoration of the Terraces“.

wp-1465421775296

Building Green will continue to push for the retention and enhancement of the Victorian ‘green wall’ – with 100 species of flowering plant it is a candidate local wildlife site, part of our historic seafront, and beautiful backdrop to the beach.

Madeira Drive A5 leaflet Building Green 1509

Find out more about the history of Madeira Drive on our new page here.

by

Green Gym keeping the Madeira Drive green wall tidy

Portslade Green Gym have done another great job removing persistent weeds from the bed of the green wall at Madeira Drive.

This is important work, as it keeps the bed clear for other plants to grow and keeps ivy off the edges of the beds. It also keeps the footpath nice and clear for pedestrians, buggies etc – so why not take a stroll down the green wall and enjoy the emerging flowers this Spring.

The other good thing about the Green Gym folks, of course, is they are volunteers doing this for the love and for their own fitness. They’re a sprightly bunch!

Proud of the partnership Building Green, the Council, the Ecology Consultancy and Green Gym have formed. Photos courtesy of the Ecology Consultancy.

by

Madeira Terraces and the ‘famous sheltered walk’ – a step back in time

This superb shot by Paul Norman has recently come to our attention. It’s 1985 – shows the green wall East of the shelter hall is fully intact…sadly a few of these veteran (planted c1880) Japanese spindle trunks are missing now, but it’s still one of the best bits of green wall on the whole stretch. Also visible are the hedges that used to exist along on the southern edge of the terrace. Does anyone know what year they were taken out?

brightonmadeiradrive1985-paul-norman

Building Green is meeting with the Council on Friday to talk through the proposals for redevelopment of Madeira Drive. We are keen to offer our expertise and support.

Paul’s group Hanover Action, are doing some fantastic work to improve the quality of life for Hanover residents. Check them out here.