Twitten
In Brighton and across Sussex, a twitten is a traditional regional dialect word for a narrow pedestrian alleyway, lane, or passage connecting two streets or running between walls and hedges.
Etymology and Dialect Roots
The term is native to Sussex and parts of Surrey, cognate with Low German twiete (narrow alley) and closely linked to the Germanic root *twi-* meaning two—implying a narrow division parting two holdings. Recorded in regional glossaries since the 18th century, William Douglas Parish formally codified it in his seminal Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect (1875) as: “Twitten: a narrow path between two walls or hedges, especially on a hillside.”
In Practice Around Brighton
Twittens are integral to navigating both the historic core of The Lanes and the steep hillside neighbourhoods of Hanover and Clifton Hill. Often bordered by dark flint walls and Regency bungaroosh masonry, they provide rapid shortcuts between busier thoroughfares. In nearby Lewes and Rottingdean, twittens retain their official street signs bearing the name.
Why It Matters to Newcomers
The word functions as an authentic local shibboleth. While newcomers from London call these passageways alleys or passages, and northern arrivals might say “ginnel” or “snicket”, adopting “twitten” marks an understanding of Sussex topography and living heritage.
Related Terms
- The Lanes – the historic commercial maze formed almost entirely of connected twittens
- Bungaroosh – the historic composite material lining many Sussex twitten walls
- North Laine – the grid of streets interspersed with narrow pedestrian links
Sources: Oxford English Dictionary (OED: twitten, n.); W. D. Parish, A Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect (1875); Sussex Archaeological Collections.