Hove Lawns Hotel, 3 Waterloo Street, Hove.
Blower Samuel Legg.
The hotel started its life in 1828 as the Kerrison Arms Hotel in Brunswick Old Town. The building is the oldest hotel/pub in Hove.
It was named in honour of Sir Edward Kerrison who served at the Battle of Waterloo and was one of Wellington’s officers. In 1907 it was renamed the Hove Lawns Hotel and was entirely refurbished. Bed and breakfast cost 4/6d while a bedroom for two with breakfast cost 5/-. Garage or stabling was on hand while large rooms were available to accommodate parties of up to fifty people.
By 1915 D.A. Legg was running the hotel. The Leggs ran the hotel for many years and by 1930 Blower Samuel Legg was the landlord until 1947.
The hotel/pub has seen more name changes than most. In around 1974 it became The Iron Duke (after the Duke of Wellington). In 1991 it became simply The Duke. In 1994 it became The Iron Duke again and in 1997 it became The Duke Inn.
Today the premises are once more called The Iron Duke. In 2012 the function room was changed into a bijou Duke box Theatre that can be hired for meetings and parties. In keeping with its more up-market image there is now no longer a need for a dart board or a pool table at the pub, but there are still hooks on the bar!