News

Saying goodbye to 2023 – and looking forward to 2024!

It's been a very exciting year at QueenSpark, with a number of new projects and partnerships... Throughout the year, we've been working on our Brighton Incoming project. Funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, we've been collecting stories of migration and movement into and around Brighton & Hove. For the first stage, we partnered with [...]

2023-12-12T16:05:41+00:00December 1st, 2023|

Our 50th Anniversary book – now on sale!

To mark our 50th Anniversary we have a new book, Telling Stories of Brighton & Hove, on sale now. It includes a selection of amazing excerpts from our archive, alongside new pieces from local people about the people and places that are, and have been, important to them. These stories - of protest, pubs, hardship, [...]

2023-04-03T11:24:12+01:00September 16th, 2022|

The new QueenSpark archive is now live!

QueenSpark is delighted to launch our new archive website, to mark our 50th Anniversary year. The site features, for the first time, the full text from our very first book - Poverty - Hardship But Happiness - through to every book that we published up until 2010. The archive is a completely unique document of [...]

2024-03-15T10:42:23+00:00September 16th, 2022|

Join us to celebrate QueenSpark’s 50th year!

Since we formed in 1972 as a successful grassroots campaign against a planned casino in Queens Park, we've published over 110 books documenting the 'People's History' of Brighton & Hove. Our archive documents the changing face of the city from the early-20th century to the present day - from the 'Poor Dispensary' and slum housing, [...]

2023-04-03T11:24:47+01:00August 30th, 2022|

‘Discover Brighton’ – new online walk guides now available!

Around 100 people joined QueenSpark on Zoom on the evening of 15th September 2020 for the launch of 'Discover Brighton', a series of new walks created as part of our Archives Alive project. You can now access the nine walks - which include audio, photographs and text covering aspects of the city's history over the [...]

2020-09-15T19:08:52+01:00September 15th, 2020|

Archives Alive in the community

As part of our Archives Alive project, before lockdown Collected Works ran a series of workshops in community centres and libraries across Brighton & Hove. They used our four latest books to inspire reminiscence and new creative work. Here is a video of some of the wonderful outcomes - and an opportunity for you to [...]

2020-09-11T11:04:31+01:00September 11th, 2020|

Discover Brighton – new online walks launched

'Discover Brighton' is a new website which will enable you to access nine unique history walks via your phone as you wander around the city. Created by volunteers and covering all aspects of the city's history, the material is taken from QueenSpark's four latest books. Take a pleasant stroll along the seafront to hear about [...]

2020-08-26T10:48:12+01:00August 26th, 2020|

New Archives Alive books

On July 25th 2019, at a launch at Brighton's Toy Museum, QueenSpark announced four new publications from our Archives Alive project. With content from QueenSparks' and other archives selected and edited by teams of volunteers under the guidance of Editor Evlynn Sharp, and in collaboration with designers Emily Macauley and Chris Callard, the books mark [...]

2020-07-30T12:40:37+01:00July 24th, 2019|

The Book of Brighton, or, Brighton As It Was & As It Is (1881)

The Book of Brighton, or, Brighton As It Was & As It Is is a witty 1881 guide to Brighton, as seen though Victorian eyes. We are re-publishing this delightful book which offers an insight into Brighton & Hove's many characters, its places of interest, and even postal collection times. Illustrated throughout with engravings, this publication [...]

2019-10-20T15:17:15+01:00May 28th, 2018|

By popular demand – Backyard Brighton and Back Street Brighton together in one edition

Backyard/ Back Street Brighton Two of our most popular titles, Backyard Brighton and Backstreet Brighton, are now available for the first time in a single volume. This new edition combines two books which gather together photographs and reminiscences based on material gathered by Brighton Borough Council with the intention of creating a record [...]

2019-10-20T15:31:33+01:00April 28th, 2018|

Explore Brighton childhood in past times with our PDF book downloads

As part of our 45th anniversary celebrations, we're making the texts of our out-of-print history books available as PDF downloads on a pay-what-you-like basis. Most of these books have been unavailable for many years, so the downloads offer a valuable chance to learn more about Brighton and Hove in byegone times. Many of the books [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:29+00:00February 20th, 2017|

Discover Life in Brighton & Hove in World War One

Our archive contains a rich selection of books and pay-what-you-like downloads which uncover a fascinating story of real lives in Brighton during the First World War. From memories of childhood to harrowing stories of the harshness of life for families struggling to make ends meet while loved ones were fighting in the trenches, these first-person accounts [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:29+00:00February 7th, 2017|

February is LGBT History Month

February is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month. QueenSpark Books has produced two groundbreaking books which tell the stories, in their own words, of life in Brighton & Hove for Transgender and lesbian and gay people. Brighton Trans*formed's contributors ranged from 18 to 81 years old with very different life experiences. All of their [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:29+00:00January 29th, 2017|

Explore Brighton & Hove’s history in ebooks

QueenSpark Books is delighted to announce the launch of six e-books, digital versions of some of our most popular and out-of-print titles, alongside one of our recent bestsellers: You can buy copies of the books using Amazon Kindle, Google Play, the Apple store, and other Android outlets - just go to your chosen website and search [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:29+00:00October 19th, 2016|

From our archives …. Brighton & Hove Albion

Photographic Archive Every month we show you images from our online digital archive - the Brighton and Hove Photographic Collection. This photograph shows goalmouth action at Brighton & Hove Albion at the Albion -v- Barnsley game on 5th April 1969. Taken at the Goldstone stadium on the Old Shoreham Road, Hove by photographer Leslie Whitcomb. [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:29+00:00September 12th, 2016|

Participation and Engagement Survey

QueenSpark Books has recently carried out an extensive survey across Brighton & Hove asking members of the local community questions about the organisation’s projects, publications and services as well as background information on participants themselves (e.g. age, gender and location in the City.) In total 146 people were surveyed. Some interviews were face to face [...]

2016-03-01T18:16:12+00:00January 8th, 2016|

Intergenerational Meet-Up

Intergenerational Meet-Up at The Pavilion Gardens Cafe By Sarah Hutchings In June 2015 our young Brighton's Graphic War participants were treated to an intergenerational meet-up at Brighton and Hove's iconic Pavilion Gardens Cafe, courtesy of the Hedgecock Bequest and David Sewell (at Pavilion Gardens Cafe). Social geographer Geoffrey Mead was on hand to provide some fascinating [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:30+00:00June 2nd, 2015|

40th Anniversary Fundraiser

On 8 November 2012 QueenSpark Books celebrated its 40th anniversary with a fundraising event that reached its target towards the printing of BRIGHTON: The Graphic Novel The fundraiser was attended by Brighton & Hove Mayor, Bill Randall and one of our patrons, Professor Dorothy Sheridan MBE who reflected on why QueenSpark Boos has survived so long and why it's important that [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:30+00:00November 8th, 2012|

40th Anniversary Flashmob

QueenSpark Books celebrated its 40th anniversary with a Flashmob event! As part of our 40th anniversary celebrations in 2012, we organised a Flashmob-style photo event at Queens Park (where it all began). This took place on Saturday 16 June and we would like to thank all of those who turned up to display our 100 [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:30+00:00June 2nd, 2012|

Teatime Tales Launch

The Pavilion Gardens Café, like the Royal Pavilion across the Gardens, is a unique Brighton institution. Throughout the last seventy years, it has offered refreshment, relaxation and a certain kind of charm to tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. On Saturday 30 April 2012 the café became the focus of a QueenSpark [...]

2016-03-04T18:08:21+00:00April 4th, 2012|

The Mayor’s Reception

QueenSpark Books held a celebration in the Mayor’s Parlour in Brighton. At the reception hosted by Brighton Mayor, Councillor Anne Meadows (to the right of John Riches), Imogen Lycett Green (to the right of Sarah Hutchings) spoke about her involvement with QueenSpark Books saying "We winkle out hidden histories and weave them together to make books. I have [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:30+00:00June 2nd, 2011|

Backstage Brighton

Martin Payne (former administrator) and Dorothy Sheridan (patron) at the launch of 'Backstage Brighton'. This took place on 5 October 2010 in The Latest MusicBar, 14-17 Manchester Street, Brighton. Interestingly, The Latest is next door to what used to be the Manchester Bus Garage, the location of the Brighton Sheet Metal Works annual outing in [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:31+00:00October 5th, 2010|

Back Row Brighton

QueenSpark worked with the University of Brighton to interview city elders about their experience of going to the cinema from the 1930s to 1960s. Their oral histories were recorded and are now archived at the University of Brighton which was particularly keen to preserve stories of people visiting the Duke of York cinema in the [...]

2018-11-06T09:40:31+00:00January 2nd, 2009|
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