“Why Brighton?” our friends asked, when we left Scotland and were looking for a British base. Our replies tended to include: it’s near enough London to see our daughters, it has a university with strong African links (and therefore libraries for Chris), it is nicer and more affordable than London, it is one of the few places where, after a lifetime in Scotland, we don’t feel overwhelmed by the prosperity and complacency of the south-east (indeed the rather louche ambience appeals to us), and it is easy to get to France.
In 2001 we bought 11 Western Street, just off the sea front. In the event we did not spent as much time in England as anticipated, as Chris decided to draw a line under his career as an Africanist. Since he no longer needed a base for his academic books, and for financial reasons, we decided to downsize.
So in 2005 we sold Western Street and bought a ground floor flat a few blocks away, in Sillwood Place. We were delighted with our new pied-à-terre, despite the need for some refurbishment and the lack of garden.
After Chris died, in 2008, I had to let Sillwood Place and finally by 2013 decided that I could no longer afford to keep it on. So in July 2013 it was sold.