Originally owned by the Levett Family in Sussex, the land of St Leonards on Sea was developed into a seaside resort by the famous Georgian builder James Burton. Burton was responsible for much of the urban development of Georgian London, including large areas of Bloomsbury. His involvement with John Nash in Regent’s Park had strongly influenced Burton’s work in St Leonards, where he copied the classical and picturesque style of Nash’s buildings. Burton conceived his plan for a seaside resort in 1827. In February 1828 the building started, and by the end of the year, the Archway (on the front face), Burton’s own house, West Villa (now the Crown House) and South Colonnade (both on panel one) had been completed, and they marked the eastern boundary of St Leonards to Hastings. Before Burton’s death in 1837, many of the major buildings, including St Leonards Hotel (later Royal Victoria, shown on panel three), had been erected. The second phase of the town’s development was continued by Burton’s son Decimus, a major nineteenth-century architect, in the 1850s.

This hand-made paper peepshow resembles Gestetner 234, (see references), and could be a publisher’s prototype. The Burton family’s emblem (the anchor) appears to be hand-drawn, and the execution of the cut-out panels is much cruder, with some figures on the first panel pasted on. On the reverse of the front face there are manuscript inscriptions of several important dates, which encourages the speculation that such inscription was intended as the producer’s note for the printed works. Importantly, in comparison to Gestetner 234, the manuscript list of events in this paper peepshow stops by the year 1831, which could suggest an earlier production date for the work.

On the front face of this paper peepshow, the maker cleverly uses posters to draw attention to the highlights of St Leonards on Sea. The meticulously drawn posters include advertisement for a fancy fair, an archery fete, races, and a ball. These are all the quintessential upper-class activities during this period, and their inclusion suggests the prestige of the town as a resort for the affluent. The same events re—appear in the printed version, Gestetner 234, with slightly different designs, which supports the hypothesis according to which this peepshow would be the publisher’s mock-up.