Brighton Millionaire Row is 'Britain's answer to Malibu' (original) (raw)

Malibu in California is renowned for its sandy white beaches, palm trees and Hollywood A-listers in beautiful homes. But there is a stretch of Hove beach that is home to some of the most famous people in Britain with the best beach bars in the country.

In an unassuming secluded road called Western Esplanade is commonly referred to as Millionaire’s Row. The Evening Standard even once referred to it as “Britain’s answer to Malibu”.

The most well-known of these is local celeb DJ Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook who has been an owner of not one but two of these villas in the past. Adele and David Walliams have also famously graced the street as well as Zoe Ball, Paul McCartney and Nick Berry.

READ MORE: Brighton's Fiveways and Preston Park named Sussex's best place to live by The Sunday Times

There are even rumours that Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey were known to visit in its 1950s heyday. According to Hove in the Past, this stretch of seafront has been a centre of wealth since the 1920s and has previously been called Hove Seaside Villas, Seaside Bungalows, and Aldrington Beach Bungalows.

Houses in Millionaires Row looking East along the Sussex coast (Image: Martin Burton/SussexLive)

The reason people call it Millionaire's Row is self-evident. Property prices have been on the rise for the past 20 years according to Rightmove data.

On the rare occasion when a house does go up for sale you would then be expected to fork out a couple of million pounds. The last sale on this select private street saw the property sell for £2.2 million while others since 2011 have reached between £2.5 and £3 million.

Millionaires Row, home to a number of celebrities and one of the most expensive locations in Sussex (Image: Martin Burton/SussexLive)

If you are to visit the area, there’s not much to see of these secluded properties, and that’s the idea. Many of the locals and neighbouring businesses are even mostly in the dark.

At the time we visited, it was the first full day of autumn which meant grey skies and choppy seas. Combine this with the smell of fish from a nearby fishmonger and this street on the edge of Shoreham Port doesn’t paint the postcard image you may expect.

Millionaire's Row is on the Brighton coast

However, take a short walk to the other end of the road and you will be able to gain a better view and the appeal soon becomes clear. The various shapes of white art deco architecture, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies, and private beaches is the image many of us can only dream of.

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