Mayor of Brighton unveils WWII plaque at opening of student residence

A special event was held recently to mark the opening of Brighton’s striking new student residence Ravilious House on the city’s Lewes Road. It included the unveiling of a plaque by the city’s mayor commemorating 14 WWII bomb victims who tragically lost their lives on a nearby site on 20 September 1940.

The Lewes Road Inn was completely demolished during the attack, which also resulted in several casualties. Sadly the pub landlord and his wife were killed in the bombing, but their dog survived. This part of Lewes Road was targeted due to its proximity to The Brighton Lighting Electrical Engineering Company, which was involved in making switch gear at its premises in St Martin’s Place.

The newly opened building is named in memory of Eric Ravilious, an artist with a strong connection to the area who was also sadly killed in WWII. Developed by award-winning purpose-built student accommodation specialist Alumno, the three and four-storey project designed by Greenaway Architects accommodates 60 students, primarily from The Screen and Film School, Brighton. Along with studio flats, it features many two-aspect rooms, along with a cinema and billiard room, bar, library area, and plenty space for cycle parking.

There’s also a café and retail space on the ground floor and basement, as well as internal and external communal areas for relaxation and study. These include a ‘green’ rooftop Winter Garden offering views over Brighton, encouraging biodiversity and improving air quality, where two prints by Ravilious are on show.

Lightbox displays and photography adorn the internal communal areas following the theme ‘Brighton in Film’ to add relevance and character to the building. The works were created by Screen and Film School students Akira-Kai Kitazono, Maya Dodwell and Daniel Booroff, the winners of a competition organised by art curator Matthew Jarratt on behalf of Alumno.

Several sustainability measures have been incorporated into the new student residence. These include renewable energy via discrete on-site solar panels, low-energy lighting and high-efficiency air-source heating.

“We are delighted to have partnered closely with The Screen and Film School, Brighton to tailor this project for the specific needs and ideas of the establishment,” said Alumno Managing Director David Campbell. “Ravilious House is located on Lewes Road, known as Brighton’s Academic Corridor due to its strategic location near to several higher education establishments, including Brighton and Sussex Universities, making it the ideal site for a student residence. As with all our projects, we have worked closely with the local authority and residents to deliver maximum benefit to the adjacent community.”

Commenting on the development, Screen and Film School, Brighton Principal Iztiar Leighton said: “We are particularly pleased to have worked with Alumno to offer our students such exceptional accommodation in such a unique and bespoke building. Our students will certainly be inspired by their surroundings, and can be sure of experiencing top quality facilities in a central Brighton location.”