This house was designed by Amon Henry Wilds about 1830. In addition to the shaell ornamentation used by him on the Royal Albion Hotel, the façade also has 'Ammonite' capitals, which were first used by Charles Dance on Boydell's Gallery, Pall Mall, in 1789. These capitals were much used by Amon Henry Wilds and his father, no doubt on account of the punning allusion to their own Christian name. The volute of the capital takes the form of the geological fossil known as an ammonite on account of its resemblance to the horn of Jupiter Amon.
Image Reference: 52_26 Old Steine Brighton.tif
The Regency Society | Friday, 5 October 2007