The Red House, Brighton, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Red House is a Victorian red-brick building on Dyke Road in Brighton, known today as Lainson House. It began life as the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children and now holds apartments, which makes it a good example of how Brighton reuses its older buildings.

The story behind it

The building was designed by the local architect Thomas Lainson, and his name survives in the present title, Lainson House. It was built as a children's hospital and took its name from Princess Alexandra, hence the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children.

The hospital has long since moved on. The red-brick building was converted into flats, and it is now a private residence rather than a public institution. Its change of purpose tells you something about the city: Brighton's Victorian architecture has often outlived the job it was built for.

What to look for

• The red brickwork that gives the building its everyday name and makes it stand out from the paler stucco more typical of Brighton.
• The sheer size and solid, institutional look of the building, which still reads as a hospital from the street even though it is now homes.
• The name Lainson House, which links the building to the architect who designed it.
• The Victorian streets around it, where you can see how this part of Brighton grew up away from the seafront.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten minutes or so to look at the exterior and take photos. This is a stop on a longer walk, not a destination for a whole morning.
• The building is now private apartments, so enjoy it from the pavement and do not expect to go inside.
• Daylight shows the brickwork best, so a bright morning or afternoon is ideal.
• Dyke Road is a main route climbing away from the city centre, so combine the visit with a wider walk through the residential streets nearby rather than making a special trip.

See it on a quest

You can reach The Red House on foot as one stop of Mythic Monster Quests: The Great Gull Of Brighton, a self-guided walk with a mythic monster theme. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the brickwork and the street properly instead of walking past. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever suits you.