Discover The Brighton Townhouse Which Inspired Alice In Wonderland’s Rabbit Hole

From a hidden underground room used to protect the minister of Northern Ireland during the height of The Troubles, to tunnels in a Tudor home built to provide sanctuary for monks fleeing the brutality of the Restoration, there’s been a curious number of homes with secret passages pop onto the market in recent months. But none quite so curious as this Brighton townhouse on Sussex Square whose secret tunnel to the sea is said to have inspired the famous rabbit hole of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Discover This Storied Sussex Square Home

‘The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.’ And so Alice found herself in Wonderland. Or maybe it was just the Sussex coast…

While Lewis Carroll was not a former resident of this particular home, he did reside on the same square: Sussex Square to be precise. A prime example of Britain’s best Regency era architecture, residents of the square, both past and present, have gained exclusive access to the tunnel which leads from their gardens, down below the coast road, and out onto the seafront.

Other notable former residents who enjoyed this nifty little tunnel to the sea, include the property developer behind the square’s development and nearby Kemp Town patron, Thomas Read Kemp; master builder Thomas Cubitt, responsible for much of the white stucco townhouses of Belgravia, Pimlico, and Bloomsbury, as well as Blackfriars Bridge and Queen Vic’s Osborne House; and the Victorian era Prime Minister Lord John Russell (the man behind the Great Reform Act) – all of whom are commemorated by blue plaques.

Is This Home Really The Inspiration Behind The Famous Rabbit Hole?

Famously the story of Alice in Wonderland first started as tales told by Lewis Carroll (real name, the slightly less whimsical Charles Dodgson) to the daughters of his friends, the Liddell family – particularly the story’s eponymous Alice Liddell. Weaving the story together on a boat trip in Oxford in 1862, it is the childlike sense of nonsense which has made this classic to the stand the test of time. As to whether Carroll’s seaside tunnel was the inspiration for the zeitgeist-shaping rabbit hole, however, remains up to debate.

Some argue that the rabbit hole was in fact inspired by Carroll’s time in the surreal Medieval hodgepodge of Oxford – specifically the hurried exits of Alice’s own father from Christ Church where he was dean being said to have inspired the ever-late White Rabbit – while other theories suggest the rabbit hole was inspired by a specific cave in Llandudno where Alice would play as a child. Regardless of whether this was the real inspiration or not, history’s none the wiser to the truth. So no harm done in making this boast your new go-to anecdote.

Step Inside

Located at the rear of the easterly wing of Sussex Square, the townhouse is accessed via its own street entrance on Bristol Place, welcoming you through the well-maintained walled garden and pilastered front door.

A somewhat glossed up take on the original white stucco townhouse, this Brighton home retains much of its historic charm while boasting a sleek and modern feel – the oversized charcoal-framed windows providing a contemporary edge. Inside, however, much of its rich history remains. Spiral down to the lower ground floor via the curved staircase to discover an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, complete with exposed brick arches – original 19th century details which are known as a hallmark of the home’s renowned architect Edwin Lutyens.

One level up on the ground floor, guests enter into the spacious entrance hall, with its wide landing doubling as a relaxation and study space. Elsewhere on the ground floor is the east-facing principal bedroom suite which offers up private garden views and ensuite bathroom. Upstairs, are two further bedrooms with dual-aspect windows sharing a family bathroom.

Where Is It?

Kemp Town village is only 0.6 miles away from this Sussex Square home while central Brighton – with its fast connecting trains to London – is only 1.6 miles away.

On the market for £1.4m. Find out more at hamptons.co.uk