THERE are three lost buildings in Brighton residents miss the most, according to author Chris Horlock.

The West Pier, the S S Brighton ice rink, and the Regent Cinema and Dance Hall all stick fondly in the memories of Brightonians who knew them.

“Ask anyone of any age about those places and their eyes will light up about their childhood time spent there,” said Mr Horlock, whose book Lost Brighton documents the many attractions the city has lost.

“Brighton had so many attractions back then, but most of them are gone since the war thanks to changing tastes and economics.”

Mr Horlock, who was born in White Street, off Edward Street, in 1953, puts the loss of many of the city’s historic buildings down to less holidaymakers coming to the seaside for long stays.

“Since the war the amount of people coming here for long holidays has decreased,” he said.

“Hotels are mostly full of short-term stays. There even used to be a camping site in Whitehawk. Now, if you ask residents, Brighton is much more of a university city than one for tourists.”

That is why Mr Horlock’s book, crammed with pictures of bygone buildings, is so fascinating.

The West Pier may be a burnt shell of its former self now, but the images in Lost Brighton show it packed with visitors.

Excited tourists lined up across the pier and piled on to paddle steamers, ready to tour across the south coast.

But the book does not shy away from its sad decline, as neglect and a lack of income forced the pier to close in 1975.

The Regent Cinema, which used to be in Queen’s Road, was a similar story.

The grand picture house, complete with a dance hall on the top floor, opened in 1921 to great fanfare.

But crowds declined again, and after successive conversions into a bingo hall and a concert venue used by the likes of The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, the hall closed in 1971.

The cinema lasted a little longer, but once the three-screen Odeon opened in West Street in 1973, the Regent’s days were numbered and it closed its doors the same year.

Mr Horlock said the closure of so many leisure hotspots like the Regent is indicative of the stresses of modern life compared to the lifestyles of 20th Century residents.

He said: “In 1953, when I was born, pace of life was much slower.

“’Make do and mend’ was every housewife’s motto and the local church was at the centre of many people’s lives.

“People had a completely different mind-set and outlook from now.

“Life today has become obsessively consumer driven, technology is proving a Pandora’s Box, and money and profit are modern-day gods.”

“So many of these old attractions were closed because they couldn’t make money.

“It’s more cost-effective to run the Odeon multiplex on West Street than a single-screen vintage cinema.”

Though many big attractions in the city have closed, it is now the city’s small independent shops Mr Horlock fears for thanks to the rise of internet shopping.

Closures of iconic Brighton stores such as Choccywoccydoodah have rocked the city recently.

“St James’s Street still seems to be holding its own despite the general trend for closures,” he said.

“Elm Grove has lost many shops in recent years, so has London Road.

“It’s touch and go for small stores.

“Look at the new shops in Hannington Lane. They’re beautiful, but a lot of them are unoccupied.

“The next few years will be telling.”

By no means does Mr Horlock say the city is going in a bad direction.

But he believes historic sites like the arches of Madeira Terrace must be preserved.

“No buildings of note have been built since the war.

“We need to preserve what we have left.”