Historic Marble Mosaic Floor Restoration at Brighton Electric – Brighton, East Sussex

Historic Marble Mosaic Restoration at Brighton Electric
Tramway House, 43–45 Coombe Terrace, Lewes Road, Brighton
From Electric Trams to Electric Guitars

We recently had the opportunity to restore a remarkable piece of Brighton's history: the historic marble mosaic floor within the entrance of Brighton Electric at Tramway House, 43–45 Coombe Terrace, Lewes Road, Brighton.

This was much more than a standard marble polishing project.

The floor sits within a building that has played a part in Brighton life for more than 120 years — first as part of the city's pioneering electric tramway system and today as one of Brighton's best-known music recording and rehearsal complexes.

Our objective was simple: preserve the historic marble while removing years of scratching and wear and bring the mosaic back to life.

The History of Tramway House

Tramway House was constructed in 1901 as part of the headquarters, depot and workshops of Brighton Corporation Tramways.

Brighton Corporation was developing a new municipally owned electric tramway system for the town, and the Lewes Road site became its principal operational base.

Construction of the depot took place during 1901, with Brighton's electric tramway commencing public operation on 25 November 1901.

Brighton & Hove City Council now recognises 43–45 Coombe Terrace as a locally listed heritage asset, noting the architectural and historic importance of the former Brighton Corporation Tramways Depot.

The building wasn't simply somewhere to store trams. The complex incorporated tramway offices, workshops and depot facilities, making it an important administrative and operational centre for Brighton Corporation's transport system.

For a municipal transport undertaking of the Edwardian period, the building was given a surprisingly prestigious architectural treatment. Its formal entrance and decorative features reflected the civic pride associated with Brighton's new electric transport network.

Brighton's tramways continued operating until 1939. After the tram system closed, the Lewes Road site continued its association with public transport through trolleybus and motor-bus operations.

Remarkably, much of the original Tramway House survived.

And so did the mosaic in its entrance.

The Historic Brighton Corporation Mosaic

One of the most impressive surviving features of Tramway House is the intricate marble mosaic set into the entrance floor.

The design depicts the historic coat of arms of the Borough of Brighton.

The arms were formally granted to Brighton Corporation in 1897, only a few years before Tramway House was constructed.

At the centre of the mosaic are Brighton's distinctive dolphins, reflecting the town's long relationship with the sea.

Around the shield are six martlets — the small heraldic birds traditionally associated with Sussex — representing Brighton's connection with the county.

The elaborate design also incorporates branches of red coral, providing another reference to Brighton's maritime identity.

Beneath the arms appears Brighton's former civic motto:

IN DEO FIDEMUS

meaning:

“In God we trust.”

The prominent display of the Corporation's arms within the entrance makes considerable sense when the original purpose of the building is understood.

Brighton Corporation owned and operated the tramway.

The mosaic was therefore more than decoration. It represented municipal ownership, civic identity and pride in one of Brighton Corporation's major public undertakings.

Someone entering the tramway headquarters in the early twentieth century would have literally walked across the arms of the Corporation responsible for the building.

Does the Mosaic Really Date from 1901?

The mosaic is believed to be an original feature dating from around the construction of Tramway House in 1901.

There is strong historical evidence establishing that the Lewes Road tramway premises were constructed in 1901, and the style, subject and prominent position of the mosaic are entirely consistent with its installation as part of the original Brighton Corporation building.

There are also historical accounts associated with the later restoration of Tramway House identifying its entrance mosaic and decorative architectural features as original fabric.

However, an important distinction should be made between the date of the building and the precise date on which this individual mosaic was installed.

At present, we have not located an original architectural specification, contractor's invoice, bill of quantities, works account or other primary document specifically recording the installation of this particular floor.

For that reason, the historically responsible description is:

Original Brighton Corporation mosaic, believed to date from c.1901.

Further research into Brighton Corporation's original Tramways Committee records, Borough Engineer's documents and construction accounts may eventually provide documentary confirmation of its exact installation date.

More Than 120 Years Beneath People's Feet

If the mosaic was installed during the original construction of Tramway House, as the available evidence strongly suggests, it has survived approximately 125 years of use.

Imagine the people who have crossed this entrance since 1901.

Corporation officials, tramway employees, engineers, conductors and drivers would once have walked across this floor as part of their working lives.

The mosaic witnessed Brighton's electric tramway era, its closure in 1939 and the building's subsequent association with buses.

Then the purpose of the building changed completely.

Instead of transporting people around Brighton using electricity, Tramway House began producing something rather different with it.

Music.

Brighton Electric

Today Tramway House is home to Brighton Electric, established in 2000 and developed into a major recording, rehearsal and production complex.

Brighton Electric

The building now contains professional recording studios, rehearsal rooms, mixing and mastering facilities and other music-production spaces.

Over the years an extraordinary collection of musicians and bands have worked at Brighton Electric.

These have included artists such as The Cure, Nick Cave, Royal Blood, Foals, The Maccabees, Mumford & Sons, Architects, The Kooks, Laura Marling, Metronomy, Blood Red Shoes, John Cale and others.

The contrast with the building's original purpose is remarkable.

A building created at the beginning of the twentieth century to support Brighton's new electric tramways now supports Brighton's internationally recognised music industry.

It gives Tramway House two very different chapters connected by one word:

From electric trams to electric guitars.

And through both chapters, the Brighton Corporation mosaic has remained at the entrance.

The Condition of the Marble Mosaic

More than a century of foot traffic inevitably takes its toll on natural stone.

Although the historic mosaic had survived, the marble surface had accumulated scratches, wear and surface deterioration that reduced its clarity and obscured some of the visual impact of the design.

With a historic floor like this, replacement wasn't the objective.

The challenge was to retain as much of the original material as possible while carefully removing the damaged surface and restoring the natural finish of the marble.

This required a controlled mechanical restoration process rather than simply applying a polish over the existing surface.

Our Restoration Process

Because Brighton Electric is a working recording and rehearsal facility, we began the project extremely early — at approximately 5–6am — to minimise disruption to the studios and the people using the building.

The entire restoration was carried out by one craftsman in a single day.

Diamond Honing

The first stage involved diamond honing the marble using resin-bonded diamond abrasives.

The purpose of honing was to remove the accumulated surface scratching and wear from the marble.

Rather than disguising the scratches with polish, controlled diamond abrasion removes a microscopic amount of the damaged stone surface, creating a more uniform foundation from which the finish can then be progressively rebuilt.

On an historic mosaic containing numerous individual pieces of marble, this process needs to be carefully controlled.

Three-Stage Diamond Refinement

Following the initial honing, the floor was progressively refined using three further grades of diamond pad.

Each successive diamond stage removes and refines the scratch pattern produced by the previous stage.

Gradually, the surface becomes smoother and the definition of the individual pieces of marble begins to return.

The colours and intricate details of the dolphins, martlets, coral, lettering and surrounding decorative work become increasingly visible as the damaged surface is refined.

Powder Polishing

Once the diamond stages were complete, the marble was powder polished.

This final polishing process restored the depth, clarity and natural polished appearance of the marble.

It was at this stage that the full visual impact of the historic mosaic really returned.

Details that had become muted through scratching and wear once again became crisp and clearly defined, while the polished marble allowed the black, white, grey and red elements of the design to stand out.

Final Sealing

Following polishing, the floor was professionally sealed.

The sealer provides additional protection to the marble and helps reduce the penetration of contaminants and staining, giving this historic surface greater protection as it continues its working life in a busy building.

The complete process was:

Resin-diamond honing → three progressive diamond-pad stages → powder polishing → final sealing.

All undertaken by one craftsman in one working day.

Preserving the Original Rather Than Replacing It

One of the most satisfying aspects of natural-stone restoration is that an old floor does not necessarily need to be replaced simply because it has become scratched, dull or heavily worn.

Where the stone remains structurally sound, professional diamond restoration can remove decades of surface deterioration while retaining the original material beneath.

That was particularly important here.

We weren't working on an ordinary modern marble installation.

We were working on a floor believed to have formed part of Brighton Corporation's original 1901 tramway headquarters.

The objective wasn't to make an old floor look artificially new.

It was to restore the craftsmanship that was already there.

A Piece of Brighton History Restored

There is something particularly satisfying about the story of this floor.

In 1901, people entered this building to operate one of the most modern technologies available to Brighton at the time — the electric tram.

More than a century later, people enter the same building to record and produce music using technology that its original occupants could scarcely have imagined.

The building has changed.

The people have changed.

Its purpose has changed.

But beneath their feet remains the civic emblem of the Brighton Corporation that originally built Tramway House.

After diamond honing, progressive refinement, powder polishing and sealing, the detail and character of this remarkable marble mosaic can once again be properly appreciated.

Approximately 125 years of Brighton history — restored in one day by one craftsman.

From electric trams to electric guitars.

A historic Brighton floor, preserved for the next generation.