Hove Vat (St Aubyns)

St. Aubyns Hotel, Kingsway, Hove.

Blower C.H. Robinson.

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On 20 August 1908 Hove Council approved plans for a new pub. Initially the favoured name was Portus Adurni after the supposed local Roman fort or harbour but that was soon dropped in favour of St Aubyn’s Hotel. By April 2002 the pub had been re-launched as a gastro-pub called The Alibi.

The pub is a remarkable looking building and its green dome gives it a distinctive skyline. Torque-like motifs decorate the dome while below are porthole-style windows. The exterior is further embellished with swags, pediments and urn-like mouldings. The west-facing windows are remarkable too. There are three 12-paned windows and underneath are three 19-paned windows. This theme is continued with the southern extension, which looks as though it was a later addition.

Blower Charles H. Robinson was landlord of the St Aubyn’s Hotel by 1915 and he remained there into the 1930s.