Viva Brighton September 2015 Issue #31

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Visit our Brighton shop in September and get 15% off your curtain and blind orders. 23 New Road Brighton BN1 1UF 01273 605574 sales@mistersmith.co.uk www.mistersmith.co.uk Croft Road Crowborough TN6 1DR 01892 664152 info@mistersmith.co.uk
its and bobs ............................... Pub: the colonnade “He’s called Willie,” says Paul, outgoing manager of the Colonnade pub on New Road, about the slightly creeps-inducing automaton that welcomes visitors into the bar. “Nobody seems to know how long he’s been here, but a customer who was an expert on suits told me the one he’s wearing would have been made in the 1890s.” I’m having a chat with Paul about the history of the place, which is owned by the Theatre Royal, and run by the family pubco The Golden Lion Group, as a freehold. He won’t switch Willie on because “he’s delicate, and anyway he’s not plugged in”, but on a good day he’ll doff his top hat to you. He used to be clockwork, but his innards were electrified in the fifties or sixties. The building used to house a cobbler’s, apparently, before being converted into a ‘Refreshment Rooms’, then into a ‘Wine and Supper Rooms’, and then, in 1854, into ‘The Colonnade Hotel’, with rooms upstairs. It was renovated in the 1890s, at some expense, judging from the elegantly glazed green terracotta exterior, and intricate etched-glass panels. In this period the colonnade which shelters the entrance from the rain used to be the pick-up point for town-centre prostitutes. “After the show,” says Paul, “you could hire out-of-work actresses for the night”. The proximity to the theatre means it’s packed three times an evening: before and after the show, and during intervals. Often the actors come in, and many of them have left their publicity cards, which are framed on the wall, “but only if we like them.” I spot George Cole, Lionel Blair, and, remarkably enough, Judy Garland (when was she in town?) “Rowan Atkinson was here in the winter,” says Paul. “He was a very nice man.” I ask Paul which celebrities he hasn’t liked, but he’s too discreet to tell me. A little bit of research reveals that, before his time presumably, Sean Connery was at least once a visitor, and Dora Bryan was quite a regular. The faded grandeur of the place takes some beating, making the Colonnade quite a fun place to take visitors who want their Brighton experience to be a bit Patrick Hamilton (though a post-smoking-ban £50,000 renovation means it isn’t quite as shabby-chic as it used to be). And, as they don’t do food, it’s an excellent place for a quiet lunchtime pint; if your appetite for one makes it past their sinister doorman, that is. AL Painting by Jay Collins ....15....
Page 3 and 4: vivabrighton Issue 31. Sep 2015 edi
Page 5 and 6: contents ..........................
Page 7 and 8: this month’s cover artist .......
Page 9 and 10: its and bobs ......................
Page 13: Joe decie .........................
Page 23 and 24: eeze up to the Downs kids go FREE!
Page 25 and 26: photography .......................
Page 27: photography .......................
Page 30 and 31: column ............................
Page 32 and 33: column ............................
Page 34 and 35: history ...........................
Page 36 and 37: Photo by Adam Bronkhorst ....36....
Page 38 and 39: Open daily from 12pm DJ’s Bands C
Page 40 and 41: Gigs In Brighton... MARK LANEGAN We
Page 42 and 43: digital festival ..................
Page 44 and 45: 攀㨀戀漀漀欀椀渀最
Page 46 and 47: interview .........................
Page 48 and 49: theatre ...........................
Page 50 and 51: Digital treats & electronic beats O
Page 52 and 53: BREMF 2015 celebrates Women through
Page 54 and 55: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY BRITISH PAI
Page 56 and 57: ....56....
Page 59 and 60: design ............................
Page 61 and 62: literature ........................
Page 63 and 64: Photo by Katya de Grunwald Photo by
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talking shop ......................
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the way we work This month, Adam Br
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the way we work Kat at Sew in Brigh
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Beat the traffic & arrive in style
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Food & Drink directory Raise Bakery
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drink .............................
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ecipe .............................
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food ..............................
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family ............................
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*Based on an adult ticket at £465
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Excitement begins with E 10 year an
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we try... .........................
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All talk and no vote? You need to m
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We asked a few of our students what
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inside left: STREET PARTY, 1953 ...
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IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO APPLY FOR A
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Viva Brighton September 2015 Issue #31

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