Our school facilities at Palmeira Mansions in Brighton

Welcome to your school

The English Language Centre in Brighton has been based at 33 Palmeira Mansions since it was founded in 1962. The building itself has a long history dating back to the 1880s and still maintains many of its beautiful historic features. In 1978 it was listed as Grade II* for its magnificent interior.

The school in its current form has:

32 brightly lit, comfortable classrooms, many with interactive whiteboards which are used frequently
Free wifi throughout the main buildings
2 large student lounges with TVs
student kitchen with microwaves, kettles, and drinks and snacks vending machines
lecture hall with interactive whiteboard for film nights
multi-media study centre, with a large selection of books, graded readers and exam practice materials

There is also a dedicated business centre which you can access if you attend a business English course. The business centre has:

presentation training rooms with interactive whiteboards and high-speed wifi
a business lounge with TV, daily newspapers and complimentary hot drinks.

Facilities features

Marble staircase, floors and dados
Parquet floors
Decorative Moorish style ceiling
Exquisite stained glass windows
A variety of lincrusta wallpapers
Carved mahogany doors
Elaborate fire places some with stunning over-mantles

A beautiful school environment

We think ELC Brighton is the ideal mix of a modern learning environment with classical architecture. A feast for all the senses.

Academic Director Jess is in full swing teaching a class of sudents in the English Language Centre in Brighton, UK.

Students seated on the red leatherette sofa to be found in the student lounge in the English language centre in Brighton. What you notice most about this photograph is the intricate moulded ceilings in the room. This room was originally used as a teachers' lounge and elsewhere on the ELC website you will see old black and white pictures of the room being used for that purpose in the 1960s.

A photo of students working in the self study centre at ELC Brighton

An artistic photo of the triangular stairwell at the English language centre in Brighton.

A student takes notes during his executive lesson in the executive centre at the English language centre in Brighton whilst his teacher looks on from the right hand side of the image. The room looks spacious and is well lit thanks to the large window in the background.

Some of our English language course participants in Brighton, walking away from the English language centre towards the beach, which is only a few minutes away.

A shot taken from the staircase in ELC Brighton looking towards the snack bar area with it's ornate floor tiles and gothic features. A very dramatic looking building.

This is a nicely framed image of the front facade of the striking Victorian building which is home to ELC Brighton, one of Brighton's oldest English language schools. In the foreground are white tulips and mature tree and a smaller shrub with red foliage. The school is painted a cream-white colour and the sky is blue with very light white clouds.

Fergus Kavanagh, ELC Brighton's Social Activities Organiser helping Swiss English student Elisa Hentsch

Two students discuss their work together whilst sitting in the library at the English language centre in Brighton. They look quite serious but probably because they are concentrating on what they are doing.

Students at the English language centre in Brighton are chatting together during a speaking exercise whilst their teacher looks on from behind. They seem to be enjoying themselves. English classes in Brighton are always very communicative, with a focus on building confidence to speak English.

A close up of one of the extremely ornate stained glass windows to be found in the canteen area of the English language centre in Brighton. We're looking from the inside as the light from the sun shines through the multi coloured glass.

A wide-angle shot of the new seating area to be found in ELC English language centre in Brighton. The comfortable looking low-level seating has grey bases with blue and turquoise backs. The room is illuminated by the light shining through three large sash windows and we can see a TV on the wall which carries the latest news and announcements from the English language centre.

The amazing staircase at ELC English language centre in Brighton. The walls are covered in a brown and cream coloured marble which is quite rare, especially when paired with a white and grey marble handrail. Quite unique.

A group of ELC English language students enjoy a joke during a break from their English lessons in Brighton.

An ideal city in which to learn English

Brighton and Hove is a seaside city of almost 300,000 people. It is about 80 km - 1 hour - south of central London and surrounded by the beautiful Sussex countryside. It’s a safe and friendly place for international students to live and study, with a strong community spirit.

ELC Brighton is just a 5-minute walk from the sea front and close to lots of great cafes, bars and restaurants. The area is very well served by public transport.

Discover Brighton

A map which pinpoints the location of ELC Brighton on a map of the south east corner of the UK

This photo shows the shiny glass, doughnut shaped observation pod of one of Brighton's most recent tourism additions - the i360, which is a 162 metre tall moving observation tower on Brighton seafront. The sky behind this structure is blue and is partly reflected in the glass.

A stunning photo of the iconic Brighton Pavilion, more specifically the many towers and minarets that are slightly silhouetted against the background of the sky in the early morning.

An historic language school

ELC is a prestigious English language school which has a rich history of its own, which today is the joint number 1 school in the UK according to EL Gazette’s review of British Council inspection published statements.

Find out more about the history of the English Language Centre, and how it all started.

The history of ELC

A black and white photo of the old teachers' lounge at ELC. The room is beautifully decorated, and small groups of teachers can be seen talking or sitting together and chatting. They all look quite serious.

Our teachers

We feel fortunate to have some truly outstanding teachers and academic managers at ELC Brighton, many of whom have worked in the school for years. Our stable working environment, ongoing professional development and commitment to quality help ensure we can give our best to you, and help you progress effectively.

Meet the Brighton team