People spent a lot of their time watching out for air raid attacks. One of the places they manned was Stanford Road School… On the high cliff overlooking the Brighton Railway line, where the line cuts through, you’ve got a very commanding view across the railway and the viaduct.

Brighton was not bombed as badly as London, Portsmouth, Coventry and many other towns; but throughout the war it suffered from ‘tip and run’ raids. The town was very close to German air bases in northern France, so very vulnerable to surprise attack from the air.

The first few stops on this walk will focus on a few areas and landmarks affected by air raids on Brighton

“The school itself had three playgrounds, and each playground had its own air raid shelter system. They were horrible; The shelters were freezing cold and damp, even in the height of summer they were bitterly cold.

But the worst thing, the sanitary arrangements were anything but sanitary – a bucket for both boys and girls. You can imagine how shaming it was for us at this age, to go in front of everyone else. The bucket was emptied into a large open oil drum, and the oil drum wasn’t even emptied after each raid, so you can imagine what the smell was like. These are the sort of things you don’t read in the books.”

With the school on your left and the railway to your right, go up Stanford Road until you come to the cross roads. Turn right into Dyke Road Drive and go over the railway bridge. As the road bends round to the right, enjoy the views over Preston Park and the hills of Brighton. Follow the long road down to Preston Road (A23) and when you get there turn right. Watch out for cyclists on the cycle path!  Cross the road using the pedestrian crossing and stop at the bottom of Springfield Road to get a good view of the railway viaduct.