The first home that I remember was 23 Portland Place, Kemptown, Brighton. It was a pleasant house, London style – high and narrow – and was separated from its neighbours by a wire fence on the balcony. A fence which did not keep out their pet monkey, who got in by our drawing room window and was found by Flora (our very good house parlour maid). She announced the visitor by repeating "I've left it just as he left it, Madam." There was not much damage.
We never had friends or even acquaintances in any of the other houses. At the bottom of the short, wide street was the road on the edge of the cliff, but towards the old part of Brighton. The street at the top of our street, that had all the shops, must have begun in the village of Kemptown. The road ran more steeply to old Brighton and the 
old Steyne (pronounced Steen, not Stayne, as they do now). There was the queer building, once the summer residence of George IV, where all I knew of it was one of Mrs. Wordsworth's dancing classes. There was also Brill's Bath, where I learned to swim easily. "The Lanes" was a set of passages into shops of antiques of all sorts. We had excellent walks, either along the Promenade or an easy lane rising steeply on the sudden rise to the Downs. The necessary shops were in a row, but our favourite was the one that sold excellent Farthing buns, miniature copies of the ordinary currant buns. Of the bread, I can only recollect that we were never allowed to eat it until the second day. For fish, I remember, was mackerel. We had to climb down to the very large shingle, to where we had seen the fishing boat being hauled up the beach and the fish thrown out for us to choose which we liked. It could not be fresher.
When Jack had started at a Dame School, Mother was teaching me, and we went to Mrs. Wordsworth's famous dancing classes, held at the Pavilion. 
(Later, in Ipswich, there was an excellent one once a week.) Mother taught me to swim in the Baths, but it was not till a good deal later that Jack and I revelled in swimming in the bath at a corner of the town little used. So little used that the men in there ignored the Men's and Women's Days and let us all in together. Never was a stranger in the Bath. The old fashioned bathing machines were still in use and, as the beach was mostly large shingle in banks and sandstone, we found the machines useful.
The Downs were close, up a narrow way among cottage gardens, but generally we chose the walks towards Rottingdean. Mrs. Rowley was a dominant figure in one of the fine homes, and we went to tea there often.
Mrs. Wilbraham, Mother's Aunt, came to stay, and fell ill and had to have nurses and doctor. This did not touch us (Jack and me) in the nursery, but it must have been very upsetting to Mother. She was very fond of her Aunt and all the daughters – Aunt Ada (Princess Teano, later Duchess of Sermoneta), Aunt Vemmie (Countess of Crawford), and Aunt Vivi (Lady Kennedy, wife of a diplomat, later an Ambassador). When old Aunt Em had recovered and left, the three joined in giving Mother a writing table and two pillars of drawers of inlaid wood. They were very useful and, as fashions were in those times, very beautiful. (The last bit went with all my other possessions.)
This reminds me of a delightful little episode. When on one of our later trips to London, Mother and I went to call on Aunt Vemmie. She was out, but the footman said his Lordship was at home. 
In a few minutes, I saw what looked to me like a British Lion – a tall man, in a light-coloured tweed suit, with reddish hair and beard. He said "Hello, Dot, Darling Dot!" and picked up Mother and kissed her. (All the family delighted in Mother.) This was the famous Lord Crawford, whose Yacht's Crew had seen the sea serpent and who was interested in spiritualism. (Aunt Vivi told us her feelings about spiritualism. Once, at a seance, a man, who had a large reputation as a spiritualist, tried to be acknowledged as a man in touch with powers. He began to seem to increase his height, till there was a show of shirt between his trouser tops and his waistcoat. But Aunt Vivi had watched where his head touched the wall, and she saw no difference on the wallpaper.)
One excitement came in our last year at Brighton. There was a terrible storm and, in the morning, the old Chain Pier was in two pieces. I bought a piece of it for a few pence. It was made of iron and huge iron nails, all red with rust.
In time, the lease of the house came to an end. Mother, instead of renewing it, put all her furniture into storage and went out to Florence to Aunt Nell.
23 PORTLAND PLACE, KEMPTOWN, BRIGHTON, SUSSEX, ENGLAND
EV's parents were married in Brighton in 1885, but the family has no record of their residence at that time. An English census return does show that Blanche and the children were visiting or living with "old Aunt Em", in Brighton, in April 1891. Perhaps they took the lease on the Portland Place house at this time. Since they travelled around the world so much, it's hard to track them down using normal methods. If you look at a modern photograph, it's obvious that the "wire fence" on the balconies has been replaced since EV lived there. In 2001, this house sold for £820,000. What do you think Blanche and EV would think of that?!
QUEER BUILDING, ONCE THE SUMMER RESIDENCE OF GEORGE IV
EV refers to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
MRS. WORDSWORTH
Mrs. Henry Wordsworth (nee Isabella Annie Wright), daughter of Charles Wright (Professor of Dancing) and granddaughter of Thomas Wright (Music Seller). Her family had been known in Brighton music circles since the time of the French Revolution. According to EV, Mrs. Wordsworth had one of her famous schools in the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, but the identity of the actual instructor in EV's time (mid- to late-1890s) is unknown to us. The woman, whoever she was, did a good job, as EV appears to have been a graceful partner on the dance floor.
MRS. ROWLEY
Caroline Frances Lindsay, wife of George Dawson Rowley, renowned naturalist, and daughter of the Venerable Charles Lindsay, Archdeacon of Kildare. Lived at Chichester House, Chichester Terrace, East Cliff, Kemptown. She would die in 1900, only three years after EV moved away, at the age of 78 years.
MRS. WILBRAHAM (Mother's "old Aunt Em")
Emily Ramsbottom, wife of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham and sister to EV's grandmother, Georgiana (Ramsbottom) Pringle. In April of 1891, Blanche, Jack, EV, and Elizabeth Sims are staying (or living?) with her in Brighton. Aunt Em's daughters were a large part of EV's young life.
AUNT ADA
Princess Teano, Ada Constance Bootle-Wilbraham, married to Onorato Caetani (Duke of Sermoneta), and first cousin to EV's mother.
AUNT VEMMIE
Emily Florence Bootle-Wilbraham, married to James Ludovic Lindsay (26th Earl of Crawford), and first cousin to EV's mother.
AUNT VIVI
Evelyn Adela Bootle-Wilbraham, married to John Gordon Kennedy, and first cousin to EV's mother.
A BRITISH LION
The Earl of Crawford was on his usual winter cruise, with two naturalists accompanying him aboard his yacht (the Valhalla), when he had his now-famous encounter with the sea serpent (on 07 Dec 1905).
DOT or DARLING DOT
What the family affectionately called Edith Blanche, EV's mother, who stood just 5'1" in her prime. EV called her "Darling Mother".
CHAIN PIER
On 04 Dec 1896, a storm came through Brighton and destroyed the dilapidated and already-closed Royal Suspension Chain Pier. The family no longer has the souvenir piece which EV bought all those long years ago.
AUNT NELL
Eleanor Hester Mary Pringle, London-born daughter of Lt-Colonel John Henry Pringle & Georgiana Ramsbottom, wife of Uncle Serge, and sister of EV's mother.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1) EV and Jack Jauncey at 23 Portland Place (1895)
2) Jack Jauncey on the Balcony at Portland Place
3) EV and Jack Jauncey at 23 Portland Place (1897)
4) Brill's Baths at Brighton
5) Sea Bathing Machines at Brighton Beach
6) Mrs. Emily Bootle Wilbraham (nee Ramsbottom)
7) James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of Crawford
8) The Destroyed Chain Pier at Brighton (5 Dec 1896)
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