1914. The line was closed in September 1949, as the Sydney tramway system was slowly wound down. A bus route replaced the tram route. Brighton Baths attracted a large number of Sydney's weekend holidaymakers. The racecourse operated from about 1897 to 1911. The baths were also popular with punters who could cool off after a stressful day at the races. Brighton Hotel was stripped of its licence in 1892 due to violence and reckless behaviour that found expression in the hotel and its surrounding area. The depression of the 1890s meant that many unemployed workers lived in the district and frequented the hotel, leading to a crisis for the area. The area several kilometres north of the hotel was used during the depression as one of many shanty sites that spread across Sydney, especially in the 1930s. Thomas Saywell offered the use of the hotel to The Scots College. Albert Aspinall, brother of the first Principal, Arthur Ashworth Aspinall, transformed the ground floor of the building to classrooms and the hotel rooms into the dormitory. In 1895 the principal of the college, Arthur Aspinall, decided to transfer The Scots College to Bellevue Hill. This was to avoid both the proximity of the local racecourse and the distraction the nearby beach was having on his students. By 1900 there were pleasure grounds south of Bay Street, as well as a pony racetrack. Development of the land south of Bay Street for housing began before World War I [Post Office Directories]. Extensive development of the northern area of the suburb occurred after World War I, in the late 1920s and again in the 1950s. For the first 20 years of the 20th century, a small boat ran a ferry service around Botany Bay, with an important stop at Brighton Le Sands. In 1966 a freak storm hit the coastline, destroying the baths and much of the beach. The expansion of Sydney Airport and Port Botany involved dredging sand from the bay and disrupted sedimentary sand flows. This caused serious damage to the area. Beach restoration projects have attempted to restore the damage done to the coastline in recent years. Commercial area The main shopping precinct is located along Bay Street and extends to the foreshore on The Grand Parade and down a short length of Moate Avenue. The landmark Novotel Hotel Brighton Beach, located on north-western corner of the intersection of Bay