Pop into pub for talk on hostelries' history

Local historian Trevor Povey will be giving an illustrated talk at the Duke of Wellington, in Brighton Road, at 3pm.

The talk, Called to the Bar – A History of the Hostelries of Shoreham, will include a slide show.

Jess Green, one of the organisers, said: “A most entertaining speaker, Trevor Povey brings alive a bygone era when Shoreham was a thriving port and its numerous pubs were hubs of community life.”

Entry is free, but the traditional ‘Welly’ boot will be passed around for donations.

Duke of Wellington owner Rob Jones, who took the pub over from Dark Star on October 1, said he had heard the talk in the pub about five years ago, and as there are now a lot of new customers, he thought it would be a good time to run it again.

“It is very relevant and was very interesting when I heard it years ago,” he added.

The Duke of Wellington itself dates back to Victorian times, when it harbour and boatyard workers.

It was refurbished in 1928 with a new façade, incorporating Arts and Crafts design.

The interior was ripped out in the early 1980s but the stained glass windows remain, along with original plaster work.

The next phase will see Mr Jones develop his own brewhouse in a new extension planned at the back of the pub, where he will be brewing his own beers.