QueenSpark Books

QueenSpark Books QueenSpark is the UK's longest-running non-profit community publishing and writing organisation, bas

QueenSpark is the UK's longest-running non-profit community publishing and writing organisation, based in Brighton and Hove. We publish books about local people's lives, run creative writing projects and facilitate oral history projects.

2017 is our 45th anniversary and we are planning on looking at life in Brighton in 1972,

Join us on Twitter:
Registered Charity Number 1172938

Churchill Square, 1972 🌞🪴“My kids used to climb up the concrete plant holders.” — AndreaSome memories live in concrete.📚...
09/08/2025

Churchill Square, 1972 🌞

🪴“My kids used to climb up the concrete plant holders.” — Andrea
Some memories live in concrete.

📚 From Brighton & Hove Photographic Collection Vol 1
📷 Reinard Clasen

🎭 Brighton’s twin piers once stole the show... in very different ways!The Palace Pier and West Pier weren’t just places ...
07/08/2025

🎭 Brighton’s twin piers once stole the show... in very different ways!

The Palace Pier and West Pier weren’t just places to stroll—they were stages, each with its own flair.

As Backstage Brighton notes:

“Historically, there is a sense that the Palace Pier has always been a little more ‘whelks and what the butler saw’ – whilst the West Pier was more sedate and elite.”

📚 Backstage Brighton – available at Queenspark Books https://rebrand.ly/backstagebrighton

🎬“Brighton on Stage & Screen”🎭From velvet cinema seats to backstage theatre whispers — Brighton has always loved the spo...
06/08/2025

🎬“Brighton on Stage & Screen”🎭

From velvet cinema seats to backstage theatre whispers — Brighton has always loved the spotlight.

Explore the city’s rich history of theatre performance and picture houses in two locally crafted books: Backrow Brighton and Backstage Brighton.

📚 From Queenspark Books - available from our website https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/

💬 Thanks to Everyone Who Took Part!Huge thanks to everyone who helped test and explore our new Hyperlocal project. Your ...
05/08/2025

💬 Thanks to Everyone Who Took Part!

Huge thanks to everyone who helped test and explore our new Hyperlocal project. Your feedback — the praise and the challenges — has been incredibly valuable.

The University will be digging into the evaluations this autumn, and we’ll keep you posted on what’s next.

📩 Want to stay in the loop? Sign up to our newsletter via our homepage and sign up to our newsletter - https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/

🌈 Happy Pride Brighton! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
02/08/2025

🌈 Happy Pride Brighton! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

✨ 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢🙏To everyone who donated and supported us with our fundraising......we have reached our target! 🙌Your generos...
02/08/2025

✨ 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢🙏

To everyone who donated and supported us with our fundraising......we have reached our target! 🙌

Your generosity is helping keep Brighton’s stories alive!

🗞️ OUT NOW - August's NewsletterGet all the latest information about new books, archive gems, and upcoming events — don’...
31/07/2025

🗞️ OUT NOW - August's Newsletter

Get all the latest information about new books, archive gems, and upcoming events — don’t miss what’s inside.

📬 Subscribe and catch up here: https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/

🔁 Amplify community stories—share and support!

Banksy Was Here... But For How Long?"I think they took this off the wall and sold it, didn’t they? Which is wrong becaus...
30/07/2025

Banksy Was Here... But For How Long?

"I think they took this off the wall and sold it, didn’t they? Which is wrong because it’s supposed to be street art, not in a gallery." — Elaine (Photographic Collection Vol. 1)

📸 J.J. Waller’s shot captures Brighton’s ephemeral street art spirit. https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/

Do you remember where this was?

"The Gift That Lasts"Want to help keep Brighton's real stories alive?A donation to QueenSpark helps:• Capture today’s st...
29/07/2025

"The Gift That Lasts"
Want to help keep Brighton's real stories alive?

A donation to QueenSpark helps:
• Capture today’s stories
• Preserve yesterday’s voices
• Inspire tomorrow’s storytellers

Because ordinary lives make extraordinary history!

Donate here: https://rebrand.ly/support-QueenSparkBooks

Kensington Gardens, 1972 – A Snapshot in Time"I remember there being a wallpaper shop along here. Also Blundells (I thin...
26/07/2025

Kensington Gardens, 1972 – A Snapshot in Time

"I remember there being a wallpaper shop along here. Also Blundells (I think it was called), a big department store. It's now a giant 'flea market.'"
— Dawn (Brighton & Hove Photographic Collection Vol. 1)

The photo captures:
• W.A. Stringer Funeral Directors
• Chas. J. Egleton Butchers
— two long-gone businesses

📸 Reinard Clasen

🔍 Explore more vanished corners in our Photographic Collections:

"Spot the difference?" Tag your memories of the area! https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/

🏳️‍🌈 Q***r, Witchy & Fearless – Brighton’s Radical Icons“Witchcraft should embrace all sexualities, races, and genders.”...
24/07/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Q***r, Witchy & Fearless – Brighton’s Radical Icons

“Witchcraft should embrace all sexualities, races, and genders.”
....Doreen Valiente, Telling Stories

From pagan pioneers to trans activists - meet the voices who reshaped Brighton’s identity.

🔮 Explore them in Telling Stories of Brighton & Hove - available from our bookshop

https://queensparkbooks.org.uk/bookshop/

23/07/2025

Brighton through the years ♥️

Address

Brighton

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when QueenSpark Books posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our Story

QueenSpark is the UK's longest-running non-profit community publishing and writing organisation, based in Brighton and Hove. We publish books about local people's lives and facilitate oral history projects. We are currently making our extensive archives accessible to a wider public, so keep checking here and on our website for updates and ways to get involved. Join us on Twitter: @qsbooks Registered Charity Number 1172938