The London to Brighton walk was a competitive walking race held on the road from London, England, to the south coast resort of Brighton. In the era before organised sport, individuals covered the distance for wager or personal challenge with the first race occurring in 1872. Open races organised by athletics clubs commenced in 1886. From 1903 races took place almost every year and from 1919 they were held annually, organised principally by Surrey Walking Club and by the Stock Exchange Athletic Club. The Surrey Open included a team prize for the first three from any one club to finish, with the most number of wins being recorded by Belgrave Harriers. The first woman to finish arrived in Brighton in 1922. That same year there was a race for blind military veterans, and this continued until 1927. In 1935 Harold Whitlock (Metropolitan Walking Club) became the first man to complete the journey in less than eight hours. The record for the event was set in 1957 by Olympic champion Donald Thompson of the Metropolitan Walking Club at 7 h 35 min 12 s. The women's record is held by Sandra Brown (Surrey Walking Club) at 9 h 4 min 40 s. There was also a walk from London to Brighton and back held sporadically from 1902 until 1967, with the record of 18 h 5 min 51 s set by Billy Baker of Queen's Park Harriers in 1926. Dwindling numbers of competitors and difficulties with obtaining sufficient numbers of volunteer marshalls and walking judges meant that the Surrey Open was last held in 1984, and the Stock Exchange walk was last held in 2003.
History In the age before mechanical transport many people walked from London to Brighton for various purposes. During the French Revolutionary Wars, large detachments of artillery marched from Woolwich to Brighton and other south coast ports, ready to respond to any French aggression..Ipswich Journal, Sat 23 Feb 1793 p. 2Bath Journal, Mon 25 Feb 1793 p. 3 In December 1815 a gentleman presenting himself as Count Frederick de Rode, a captain in the Emperor of Russia's Hussar Regiment, walked from London to Brighton with his servant to seek an audience with the Prince of Wales. He claimed to have "fought in all the battles throughout the two campaigns in France," and during his stay in Paris had his money and passport stolen.Sun (London), Sat 23 Dec 1815 p. 3London Courier and Evening Gazette, Sat 23 Dec 1815 p. 2 In August 1832 there was a cholera outbreak in London and it was decided to move as many troops as possible out of the city to protect them from the epidemic. The third battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers marched to the barracks at Brighton.English Chronicle and Whitehall Evening Post, Tue 24 Jul 1832 p. 1 Following the annual military camp at Chobham Common in August 1853, the 4th Light Dragoons marched from there to the barracks at Brighton.Sun (London), Fri 19 Aug 1853 p. 11
The first person recorded to have covered the route for what might be considered sport was Captain Robertson of the South Gloucester Militia who walked from Brighton to London and back in September 1803. He wagered 40 guineas that he could do it within 48 hours and won his bet handsomely, arriving back at his camp in Brighton after 45 h 20 min.True Briton, Sat 17 Sep 1803 p. 4Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, Thu 22 Sep 1803 p. 3Gloucester Journal, Mon 26 Sep 1803 p. 3 The following July John Bell walked from Brook Green, Hammersmith, to Brighton for a wager of 200 guineas that he could do it in fourteen hours, and won his bet with fifteen minutes to spare.Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, Thu 26 Jul 1804 p. 3London Chronicle, Thu 26 Jul 1804 p. 2London Courier and Evening Gazette, Thu 26 July 1804 p. 3
In November 1822 a 58-year-old pedestrian called Wright covered the route on each of four consecutive days. Starting on Tuesday 5 November he walked from London to the Elephant and Castle in Brighton in 13 h 43 min, and the next day he walked back. On Thursday and Friday he repeated the walk finishing at the Crown and Barley Mow, Gray's Hill Lane, at seven o'clock in the evening having covered 216 miles (347.6 km) in a total walking time of 2 days, 7 h 11 min.Commercial Chronicle (London), Sat 9 Nov 1822 p. 2Bell's Life, Sun 10 Nov 1822 p. 8Morning Advertiser, Tue 12 Nov 1822 p. 3
On Good Friday in 1827 Edward F. Holtaway, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, walked to the Bricklayer's Arms, North Street, Brighton in 11 h 30 min, and that remained the record for more than forty years.Pierce Egan's Life in London, Sun 22 Apr 1827 p. 5Sun (London), Wed 25 Apr 1827 p. 3 Benjamin Trench must have at least equalled that time in March 1868 when he walked from Kennington Church to Brighton and back in twenty-three hours, but no splits are available for his walk. Starting at six o'clock on Friday evening he returned to warm and generous applause at five o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and walked round the Oval several times to amuse his friends.Sporting Life, Sat 28 Mar 1868 p. 4
In March 1869 the brothers Henry and Walter Chinnery, of the London Athletic Club, both walked to Brighton. Walter Chinnery was the Amateur Athletic Club 1 mile and 4 miles champion in 1868, the world record holder at both of those distances, and also the holder of the Marquess of Queensberry middleweight boxing cup. His younger brother Henry was better known for his performances over 440 yards. They were also both successful stockbrokers, so that this walk is the first link in the chain that leads to the creation of the Stock Exchange walk from London to Brighton. The brothers challenged themselves to complete the walk in twelve hours. They stopped at Crawley for a bath and arrived in Brighton after being on the road for 11 h 25 min.Weekly Dispatch (London), Sat 13 Mar 1869 p. 64 This was the first walk to start from Westminster Bridge, but not from Big Ben, the Chinnery's started instead from the Surrey side of the river outside St Thomas' Hospital. The Brighton Road (1906) by George Harper
In March 1872 Percival Burt, of London AC, was matched to walk to Brighton against Mr Whitelaw, and although Burt won the match, and the first walking race over the course, he was not able to beat Chinnery's time.Sporting Gazette, Sat 6 Apr 1872 p. 15 So he came back in September and had another go over the same route, from Westminster Bridge to the Old Ship Hotel, and this time he broke eleven hours, recording 10 h 52 min.Croydon Advertiser, Sat 28 Sep 1872 p. 4Bell's Life, Sat 28 Sep 1872 p. 4
Between November 1883 and March 1884, Edward Payson Weston walked 50 miles a day to complete 5,000 miles in 100 days, which included a walk from Brighton to London.Tewkesbury Register, Sat 15 Mar 1884 p. 2 A couple of weeks later, on Saturday 29 March 1884, Charles O'Malley and B. Nickels, both members of London AC, were matched to walk to Brighton with Francis Firminger of South London Harriers. O'Malley had finished second in the mile at the England vs Ireland athletics match at Stamford Bridge in May 1877, was considered a "splendid steeplechaser", and was also a first-rate swimmer and boxer. Firminger was principally a long-distance runner, having won a 50 miles (80.4 km) race indoors in 1879. They started opposite the Westminster clock tower at a quarter past seven in the morning, with Firminger and O'Malley gradually pulling away from Nickels they reached Crawley, 29 miles (46.6 km) in 5 h 16 min. Shortly after this Firminger was seized with stitch and cramp and gradually fell away and failed to finish. O'Malley kept up his pace and reached the Aquarium at Brighton in 9 h 48 min. Nickels suffered from pain in his feet but saw it through to the end and recorded 10 h 8 min 20 s.The Referee, Sun 30 Mar 1884 p. 6London Daily Chronicle, Mon 31 Mar 1884 p. 6
The era of open races commenced on Saturday 10 April 1886 with a race organised jointly by South London Harriers and Ealing Harriers. This had ten men racing to the coast in unfavourable weather and the event was won by J. A. McIntosh of Compton Cricket Club in 9 h 25 min 8 s.Portsmouth Evening News, Mon 12 Apr 1886 p. 2Daily News (London), Mon 12 Apr 1886 p. 4
In 1891 Edward Cuthbertson of the Stock Exchange, in conversation with some friends over dinner, bet that he could beat the Chinnery's walking record from 1869, and that he could also walk, in twelve hours, the course used by James Selby in July 1888 when he set the record for driving a stage coach from London to Brighton and back. This required him to start outside the White Horse Cellars at Hatchett's Hotel in Piccadilly, and walk over Westminster Bridge, past Chinnery's start point outside St Thomas' Hospital and on to Brighton, where he would pass St Peter's Church and go on to the seafront where, instead of turning left for the Aquarium, opened in August 1872, he would turn right and continue for around a further 500 yards (450m) to the Old Ship Hotel. On Saturday 21 March he accomplished this in 10 h 6 min 18 s, winning both his wagers.Sporting Life, Mon 23 Mar 1891 p. 1Gloucester Citizen, Mon 23 Mar 1891 p. 3 Cuthbertson's time over McIntosh's course was a little more than 9 h 50 min, not a record, but a very fine performance, and it had the effect of stimulating walking at the Stock Exchange where other sports were already popular, so that by the time they came to organise an actual race there were plenty of walkers ready to take up the challenge.
In August 1895 W. Franks, a professional pedestrian, wagered £20 that he could beat McIntosh's time. The terms of the wager stipulated that he should start at four o'clock in the morning, so at that hour, accompanied by two men on bicycles, one of whom was a policeman on his day off, and witnessed by a surprisingly large crowd for such an hour, he stepped off and walked into the record books, arriving in Brighton 9 h 7 min 7 s later.Sporting Life, Mon 5 Aug 1895 p. 4
In April 1897 Polytechnic Harriers organised an open amateur walking race with generous prizes. The winner was offered a gold medal and silver punch bowl, the next two finishers a similar but smaller silver bowl, all finishers under 10 h 15 min got a silver medal, a bronze medal was available for beating 10 h 45 min, and all finishers received a certificate. They offered overnight accommodation the night before for anyone that wanted it, cycling attendants for all competitors and refreshments available from select hotels on the route. There was to be a celebration dinner after the race where the Mayor of Brighton would present the prizes. These generous provisions attracted forty-six entries from places as far away as Northampton and Cornwall, and thirty-seven of those actually toed the line to start their walk at ten past six o'clock on the morning of Saturday 10 April, exactly eleven years to the day after McIntosh had set his record. Despite advertising in advance publicity that the walk was an attempt on the record, they chose to start not from Westminster Bridge, where McIntosh had started, but from outside the Polytechnic Institute in Regent Street. All competitors were then timed as they passed Big Ben, around thirteen minutes after they had started walking.