'The Black Spot of Brighton'

During the 1920s/30s many of the smaller communities living in court areas or so-called 'slum' dwellings had to share their space with traders and businesses. In Oxford Court there was a Slaughter Yard. These two extracts from 'Backyard Brighton' explain how the cattle where brought to the court for slaughter, and how the cramped and unhygenic conditions this created brought about, inevitably, disease and death.

Our house was on the south side of the street, the Court opened out and several trades were carried on there. Behind us there was a huge storage area which stretched almost to London Road where the parents of Bellman's the hosiers had a sack business for quite a time; beyond this there was a slaughter yard.

The cattle would be driven down Trafalgar Street from the station, along London Road and into Oxford Street past our house and into the Court; from my bedroom I could see them being slaughtered. Having the slaughter house there encouraged the rats, and that, with the bugs in the houses, made it an unhygienic area.

At one time, it was known as 'The Black Spot of Brighton', and I seem to remember it had something to do with children dying. One family that lived in Oxford Court lost several children while they were still young. I remember rats being caught in the sewers and released on the Level for the dogs to catch them. I believe this was on one of the Bank Holidays.
Benjamin Paulett Bowman - Backyard Brighton

The slaughter house was in use for most of the time. We could hear the bleating of sheep and the mooing of cattle, shots as the animals were killed, day and night for several days at a time; then it would be quiet for a week of two.

The farmers would bring the sheep or cattle (75-100 at a time) into Brighton Sta­tion by train, and then drive them through the back streets, down Ann Street , across London Road , along Oxford Street and into Oxford Court .

The animals were herded into the bottom end of the cul-de-sac, with two men behind them, to stop any escaping while the slaughter-house gates were opened to allow a few in at a time.

It was bad luck if anyone wanted to get out of their front door, as it was impossible to push a way through all the animals. The women and children were often upset by the cattle pushing their noses against the window and peering into the houses. When I was a child I remember waking up to see flames and smoke billowing out of the slaughter-house roof.
Ernest Whittington - Backyard Brighton