Getting Around · Our pick in Brighton
The Brighton Belle: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Hugh Llewelyn · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout The Brighton Belle: the back story
The Brighton Belle ran between London Victoria and Brighton from 1 January 1933 until 30 April 1972: the world’s first electric all-Pullman service, in the words of the 5BEL Trust, which has restored four of its carriages to main-line standards and is preparing to return the train to the national network.
For almost forty years, the smartest way from London to the sea was an all-Pullman electric train. The Brighton Belle is still the train people mean when they talk about Brighton by rail.
The first electric Pullman
The Southern Railway electrified the line from London to Brighton in the early 1930s, and its flagship was an all-Pullman electric train. It began running on 1 January 1933, at first as the Southern Belle, and was renamed the Brighton Belle in 1934. The Southern Railway advertised it as covering the fifty-one miles in sixty minutes. Three five-car units, known as 5-BEL, were built for the service.
Look out for news of the Belle’s return on brightonbelle.com.
Hazel, Audrey and Gwen
In the Pullman tradition, the first-class cars, with their kitchens, carried women’s names: Hazel, Audrey, Gwen, Doris, Vera and Mona.
Kippers and the last run
The Belle was much loved by regulars. When British Rail took kippers off the breakfast menu, the actor Laurence Olivier, a regular passenger, led the campaign to bring them back, and they returned. The train made its last run on 30 April 1972.
Coming back
The carriages survived, scattered across the country. The 5BEL Trust has restored four of them to the standards of today’s national network and is working with Locomotive Services Limited at Crewe, which will operate the train; the Trust says the Belle is approaching the final stages of entry to the national rail network. Until it returns, today’s Southern and Thameslink trains take about an hour.
Our advice: follow the Trust’s news on brightonbelle.com, and read our Brighton by rail guide for today’s trains.
Why it's on our list
- The first electric Pullman
- Hazel, Audrey and Gwen
- Kippers and the last run
- Coming back
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Brighton Belle: the back story before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from The Brighton Belle: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest railway stations
- BrightonRail0.1 mi1 min walk
- London Road (Brighton)Rail0.5 mi11 min walk
Key sights
- The North Laine0.3 miWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Brighton Dome0.4 miWalk 9 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Royal Pavilion0.5 miWalk 10 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 6 min
- The Lanes0.6 miWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Brighton i3600.7 miWalk 14 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Palace Pier0.8 miWalk 17 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Hove Lawns1.1 miWalk 22 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Preston Park1.3 miWalk 26 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 10 min
Railway stations
- Brighton station0.1 miWalk 1 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 4 min
- London Road (Brighton) station0.5 miWalk 11 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Preston Park station1.3 miWalk 26 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Hove station1.3 miWalk 27 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 10 min