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28-04-2024, 23:00
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/another-day-at-seaside-bexhill-and.html)
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Last Friday I made my second visit to the coast this month, tothe appropriately named Bexhill-on-Sea. I’d spent a considerable amount of timethe previous evening, mulling over where to go on my Pub Friday day out. The intention was to visit a pub on CAMRA’s National Historic Pub Inventoryand working on the basis of easily reached by public transport and having anhistoric or characterful interior worth seeing, I’d drawn up a short list of eightpubs, in destinations as diverse as Dulwich, Beckenham Junction, Chelsfield,Crawley and Bexhill-on-Sea.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5cSlWe8Qg0FCVCbA2BKJxnPvC3yBa3r1rKP_jeMnan wcUYJ_PjsYQN0t-2G7uuFeTxPC1PfLfAZp_s3Zyq0Mj1JqklkgtQ10aBggk0iIrJD iuql4QO7uCaSzEswOf8hFqKkMF6HTpKqR262quBXsDxqhhkHUV KuO33o-7tuGWeFpev-NWA_cd03oFcQ/w400-h230/Brickmakers%20Ext.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5cSlWe8Qg0FCVCbA2BKJxnPvC3yBa3r1rKP_jeMnan wcUYJ_PjsYQN0t-2G7uuFeTxPC1PfLfAZp_s3Zyq0Mj1JqklkgtQ10aBggk0iIrJD iuql4QO7uCaSzEswOf8hFqKkMF6HTpKqR262quBXsDxqhhkHUV KuO33o-7tuGWeFpev-NWA_cd03oFcQ/s3906/Brickmakers%20Ext.jpg)
I opted for the latter seaside town, with the initial aim ofvisiting an NI listed pub on the edge of Bexhill, called the New Inn. Whilstsorting out how to get to the pub, from Bexhill station, thoughts ofanother pub in the town came flooding into my head. The place I was thinking ofwas the Brickmaker’s Alehouse, a converted formershop and showroom for a local brick manufacturer. In November 2019, theBrickmaker’s opened its doors as Bexhill's first micro-pub, offering no fewerthan five cask ales and four ciders. The drinks are served direct from caskskept in a chilled cabinet adjacent to the bar, with canned beers and ciders,also available.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9rQ_vQAaqO4j4u8BjmF7oumjYafrC8f5Mwg1R1DD4K jM9VLmIiSIBR8z8GuYS49GjdlsrGh9FfZNmhOuXri-_SkZHmhjWYeUdps4IE50_MF7rY0KOy0kdCmXWKlVIe3ma8dlUx GBFuqw-O61FZw-AuukO-qJ6K9aVOqhypUvZaBNMNc3cE1r3GpE97U/w249-h400/Brickmakers%20casks.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9rQ_vQAaqO4j4u8BjmF7oumjYafrC8f5Mwg1R1DD4K jM9VLmIiSIBR8z8GuYS49GjdlsrGh9FfZNmhOuXri-_SkZHmhjWYeUdps4IE50_MF7rY0KOy0kdCmXWKlVIe3ma8dlUx GBFuqw-O61FZw-AuukO-qJ6K9aVOqhypUvZaBNMNc3cE1r3GpE97U/s3548/Brickmakers%20casks.jpg)
Now comes the interesting part, as the Brickmaker’s is ownedand run by run by two local CAMRA members, one of whom happens to be a formerchairman of the local West Kent branch. This was back in the late 1980’s and, asin many areas of life, events happen, people move on and go their separate ways.In the case of both Robin and myself it was each starting a family, but there werealso changes of job, house and all the other things that happen to people overthe course of a lifetime.Fast forward to the end of the last decade, when Idiscovered that Robin was planning to open a micro-pub in Bexhill, where he wasnow living. Several local member had visited the Brickmaker’sAlehouse and returned with glowing reports, but it wasn’t until late lastyear that I bumped into Robin again, when he turned up at the Nelson Arms, inTonbridge, for the Kent CAMA Pub of the Year presentation. The topic of his pubcame up in the conversation, and he seemed surprised, and possibly a littleshocked that I hadn’t visited the Brickmaker’s, so that flash of inspiration Ihad the other evening, was quite appropriate.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdckBSM7T4R68sRBrGhgzrLmrcquWsZm-w3C_uOpmWNfPDhr4D5IH0PHFjazKjnCEOet-9A82OE083PCsDNx3OQx_SDvebLV5cu7SQiwRp_sSn-vhfC09UK0UWlSqw1ISSUKJtT-vnZeQeuOzbCpWo4FcCadn2l-I0lw6DAq8SVMsoXKYp4stmjK5Ppew/w400-h225/Bexhill%20station%20coffee%20shop.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdckBSM7T4R68sRBrGhgzrLmrcquWsZm-w3C_uOpmWNfPDhr4D5IH0PHFjazKjnCEOet-9A82OE083PCsDNx3OQx_SDvebLV5cu7SQiwRp_sSn-vhfC09UK0UWlSqw1ISSUKJtT-vnZeQeuOzbCpWo4FcCadn2l-I0lw6DAq8SVMsoXKYp4stmjK5Ppew/s4000/Bexhill%20station%20coffee%20shop.jpg)
Before writing about my visit, I ought to mention a familyconnection to Bexhill as, until relatively recently, Mrs PBT’s sister lived inthe town, She and her late husband Brian had a large bungalow, on the edge ofBexhill that they had lovingly restored and enlarged over the years, but sadly, Eileen’s sister Lynne’s husband, passed away in March 2020, rightat the beginning of the pandemic. A year or so after, Lynne moved to Uckfield tolive with her youngest daughter, in an annexe attached to the side of herproperty.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8Y0zd0nrqN6mKjr5RGQ9bLtMzv-BWTDp0HUVYN6XFRoFCUFCLxrgIYLn5XdZQxB5IbpPgMcn3BH8u vmiCcSHVEmtSUsSmrIY56dq12sKNbxDn8Efoiv9DhWMOXm0BUF R6S3RCovBObH1UAfw1hTL3htZMc6UxDXLZGmx__Q9Nx9EPN33_ hWQGey_KmM/w400-h225/Bexhill%20seafront.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8Y0zd0nrqN6mKjr5RGQ9bLtMzv-BWTDp0HUVYN6XFRoFCUFCLxrgIYLn5XdZQxB5IbpPgMcn3BH8u vmiCcSHVEmtSUsSmrIY56dq12sKNbxDn8Efoiv9DhWMOXm0BUF R6S3RCovBObH1UAfw1hTL3htZMc6UxDXLZGmx__Q9Nx9EPN33_ hWQGey_KmM/s4000/Bexhill%20seafront.jpg)
As a family, we would normally drive down to Bexhill, for catch-up visits, so it made a refreshing change letting the train do the driving instead.The journey of just under an hour from Tonbridge, involves taking the Hasting’s service, beforechanging trains at St Leonard's Warrior Square, just one stop before the seasidetown. I knew that the Brickmaker’s was close to the town centre, the seafront, andalso Bexhill station, but with an hour or so to kill, before the pub’sscheduled 2pm opening, the question arose as what to do in the meantime?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-njDfx_qD_XDvqfYkOSQCsKyEbvGZsB_JMt0rTAyjvoQ-19DWphr0BIAkIaB_zIGOHuqHWwPBxTQZi4RSBcNrJVpxBrhkWG 8a6WmH_gWbh8hVVncmvuudi_1daZAuQtVbTU8UJODy8PLG_Dhp 8yYy1oBYv_6evD7yXaxhJKIfkXQWfAeFtgxa-02YII/w400-h209/DLWP%20Rear%20left.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-njDfx_qD_XDvqfYkOSQCsKyEbvGZsB_JMt0rTAyjvoQ-19DWphr0BIAkIaB_zIGOHuqHWwPBxTQZi4RSBcNrJVpxBrhkWG 8a6WmH_gWbh8hVVncmvuudi_1daZAuQtVbTU8UJODy8PLG_Dhp 8yYy1oBYv_6evD7yXaxhJKIfkXQWfAeFtgxa-02YII/s3872/DLWP%20Rear%20left.jpg)
A short stroll down to the seafront provided the answer, inthe form of the De La Warr Pavilion, a grade 1 listed building, overlookingthe sea. This striking, futuristic-looking building was the result of an architecturalcompetition initiated by Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, after whomthe building was named. The Earl was a committed socialist and also Mayor of Bexhill,when he persuaded Bexhill council to develop the site as a public building The specificationfor the new building included the requirement an entertainment hall to seat atleast 1,500 people; a 200-seat restaurant; a reading room; and a lounge. The competitionwas won by architects, Erich Mendelsohn, and SergeChermayeff, with their striking international design, which is one of thefirst major Modernist public buildings in Britain.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzvho2xpYO0nCE_gCVnrUIl9k_d3J-UMnJ2fYV8xUoUO07pVx44iPdRa4cZX5fTIKoSK0yQeZsIpKjku DLOjW4SZXlWE0JKrGC89rpYyjXi1lMy7t81y7C45WKX2JHsOqV F3egUp1bZQvLiA2nx67Fw3IC-0aKJLewbjDIJzeiJBEO2f5JiJz0_yIxG8/w400-h200/DLWP%20rear%20mid.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzvho2xpYO0nCE_gCVnrUIl9k_d3J-UMnJ2fYV8xUoUO07pVx44iPdRa4cZX5fTIKoSK0yQeZsIpKjku DLOjW4SZXlWE0JKrGC89rpYyjXi1lMy7t81y7C45WKX2JHsOqV F3egUp1bZQvLiA2nx67Fw3IC-0aKJLewbjDIJzeiJBEO2f5JiJz0_yIxG8/s3743/DLWP%20rear%20mid.jpg)
Construction of the De La Warr Pavilionbegan in January 1935, and the building was opened in December of the sameyear by the Duke & Duchess of York, who later became King George VI & QueenElizabeth. Decades later, and with the privations of World War II in between,the building was starting to show serious signs of neglect. Various suggestionsand campaigns for its future followed but following a £6 million grant fromthe Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council of England, work began torestore the building and turn it into a contemporary arts centre. In October2005, after an 18-month long extensive programme of restoration, the De La WarrPavilion officially reopened as a contemporary arts centre, encompassing one ofthe largest galleries on the south coast of England.
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Well worth a look around then, and with some attractive paintingsof local fishermen, nice views along the coast towards Eastbourne and BeachyHead, plus that much needed comfort stop, after the train coffee had worked itsway through my system, what was not to like. The De La Warr also provided welcomeshelter from the cold north-easterly wind that was blowing along the coast. Somewhereamongst several boxes of old photographs, are several of me as toddler, lookingout to sea, taken from inside the pavilion, and date from a visit to the southcoast, with my parents. I shall dig them out, when I’ve got a spare moment, asthey must be about 65 years old.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidDyV-8KlWfTBsQQULoO5YWQU0pIYW4ZdH5W4LnsNwFx9a-jsDR2CVPSoUOAeJdtC7eIiYxLQEexo9kyzjXvOtVKOU4hdF8hX wTh5UkOZxV4wngSpy_FD34_Osc_W1KcfNdQGNyGHI5Kj8tMG3u fo1oum2MPPoMVfuHyUveO4GqKIG9oA4TnStPqQJDU/w400-h225/Brickmakers%20Ext%20wide.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidDyV-8KlWfTBsQQULoO5YWQU0pIYW4ZdH5W4LnsNwFx9a-jsDR2CVPSoUOAeJdtC7eIiYxLQEexo9kyzjXvOtVKOU4hdF8hX wTh5UkOZxV4wngSpy_FD34_Osc_W1KcfNdQGNyGHI5Kj8tMG3u fo1oum2MPPoMVfuHyUveO4GqKIG9oA4TnStPqQJDU/s4000/Brickmakers%20Ext%20wide.jpg)
Pleased after renewing my acquaintance with this iconic, modernistbuilding, I headed back to the Brickmaker’s Alehouse, arriving there shortlyafter opening time. I managed to beat a group of cyclists to the bar, after theywere delayed slightly by locking up their bikes, but I still wasn’t the first customerof the day. That honour went to the gent sat looking out of the front window,who asked me if was from the police, after witnessing me taking a couple of photosof the exterior. “Do I look like a policeman?” was my response, but leavingsuch possibilities aside, I strolled over to the bar, after first taking a lookat the casks racked up inside the glass-fronted, chill cabinet.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDiXmvUNBBEWtYHOfeVKo2IY3WuUt1QPEFfBRrBbzEA phv514RrlKO0gPFZESJX3Jrs9zlPfi8Oj10R_qZtot9-BFn9ebO7t_xuuJoUvkH4rCZJZGv_wGfktbjwFL0NMDIz3koJIJ 9p3DSoVvj_GK4Xld68EbALLpapPlvMWve-GioykxEIjzTjLmVNE/w400-h225/Brickmakers%20Int..jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDiXmvUNBBEWtYHOfeVKo2IY3WuUt1QPEFfBRrBbzEA phv514RrlKO0gPFZESJX3Jrs9zlPfi8Oj10R_qZtot9-BFn9ebO7t_xuuJoUvkH4rCZJZGv_wGfktbjwFL0NMDIz3koJIJ 9p3DSoVvj_GK4Xld68EbALLpapPlvMWve-GioykxEIjzTjLmVNE/s4000/Brickmakers%20Int..jpg)
After perusing the Brickmaker’s website (https://brickmakersalehouse.co.uk/), on my journey downto Bexhill, I’d already made my mind up as to which beers to go for, so afterstarting with a pint of Mallinson’s American SIPA, I moved on after to a glassof Abyss, from Neptune Brewery. Both beers, one a well-hopped, straw-colouredpale ale, whilst the other a smooth, easy-drinking, oatmeal stout, were intip-top condition, kept at just the right temperature, and served direct fromthe cask, by gravity, it was like being in beer heaven.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcZZAm1fIfgY9_xIFh_Tf6wYSamGdzQZsRMHO949Rx_-kV1LQrQ1nslVrTBedTvLlWk5zncUiDK1Q0ZfWijlrlSlYgw39o rI2AbtOPSymSw0kjDUNwhoKSE82pJSxyk7neqksOa1RqTMutpx 5APw1YequY-CVhAjvZBq92rOAedx0U-zoOhDiClWR9Vo/w284-h400/Bricks%20SIPA.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcZZAm1fIfgY9_xIFh_Tf6wYSamGdzQZsRMHO949Rx_-kV1LQrQ1nslVrTBedTvLlWk5zncUiDK1Q0ZfWijlrlSlYgw39o rI2AbtOPSymSw0kjDUNwhoKSE82pJSxyk7neqksOa1RqTMutpx 5APw1YequY-CVhAjvZBq92rOAedx0U-zoOhDiClWR9Vo/s782/Bricks%20SIPA.jpg)
I asked joint owner Martin, who I recognised from a photo onthe website (https://brickmakersalehouse.co.uk/), whether his partner Robin would be in later, but as he wouldn’t be, Ileft one of my cards with Martin, and asked if he would give it to Robin, whenhe next saw him. I then made myself at home, on one of the high stools-posingtables. One of the pub regulars, a chap also called Robin, asked if he couldjoin me. I nodded that he could, and we had an interesting chat about the pub,the local area, and places between Bexhill and Tonbridge, that we both knew.There was an interesting crowd in the pub, that afternoon,with the cyclists in particular getting stuck into their ale. Several othercustomers also popped in to get their carry-out containers filled, either withbeer or cider. I am not always a massive fan of micro-pubs, but this one certainlyseemed to be doing everything right. In 2021 the Brickmaker’s won the CAMRA“Conversion to Pub Use” national award, and in both 2022 and 2023 was localCAMRA Branch Pub of the Year, plus Cider Pub of the Year runner up. My onlygripe was the lack of food at the pub, as apart from nuts and crisps, that wasit.
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t7nLkzHVkEhXthduY1p46FTsfOGtJMMtC99xmC7EtY hKacYB3IEfX05gU74JCsZBgBkScdbyxFCRmNA1y9DkmdsJnnu9 epGhWwS-Axw0vYKr2M23chlGASkfKirqZVDTCSS43qjTgxlrsASNhdQLA0 YNMuZiT5kKjGOz8MRIwMjBMyqNqG2zgGK_rv4/s4000/Bexhill%20seafront%20statue.jpg)
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Last Friday I made my second visit to the coast this month, tothe appropriately named Bexhill-on-Sea. I’d spent a considerable amount of timethe previous evening, mulling over where to go on my Pub Friday day out. The intention was to visit a pub on CAMRA’s National Historic Pub Inventoryand working on the basis of easily reached by public transport and having anhistoric or characterful interior worth seeing, I’d drawn up a short list of eightpubs, in destinations as diverse as Dulwich, Beckenham Junction, Chelsfield,Crawley and Bexhill-on-Sea.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5cSlWe8Qg0FCVCbA2BKJxnPvC3yBa3r1rKP_jeMnan wcUYJ_PjsYQN0t-2G7uuFeTxPC1PfLfAZp_s3Zyq0Mj1JqklkgtQ10aBggk0iIrJD iuql4QO7uCaSzEswOf8hFqKkMF6HTpKqR262quBXsDxqhhkHUV KuO33o-7tuGWeFpev-NWA_cd03oFcQ/w400-h230/Brickmakers%20Ext.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5cSlWe8Qg0FCVCbA2BKJxnPvC3yBa3r1rKP_jeMnan wcUYJ_PjsYQN0t-2G7uuFeTxPC1PfLfAZp_s3Zyq0Mj1JqklkgtQ10aBggk0iIrJD iuql4QO7uCaSzEswOf8hFqKkMF6HTpKqR262quBXsDxqhhkHUV KuO33o-7tuGWeFpev-NWA_cd03oFcQ/s3906/Brickmakers%20Ext.jpg)
I opted for the latter seaside town, with the initial aim ofvisiting an NI listed pub on the edge of Bexhill, called the New Inn. Whilstsorting out how to get to the pub, from Bexhill station, thoughts ofanother pub in the town came flooding into my head. The place I was thinking ofwas the Brickmaker’s Alehouse, a converted formershop and showroom for a local brick manufacturer. In November 2019, theBrickmaker’s opened its doors as Bexhill's first micro-pub, offering no fewerthan five cask ales and four ciders. The drinks are served direct from caskskept in a chilled cabinet adjacent to the bar, with canned beers and ciders,also available.
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Now comes the interesting part, as the Brickmaker’s is ownedand run by run by two local CAMRA members, one of whom happens to be a formerchairman of the local West Kent branch. This was back in the late 1980’s and, asin many areas of life, events happen, people move on and go their separate ways.In the case of both Robin and myself it was each starting a family, but there werealso changes of job, house and all the other things that happen to people overthe course of a lifetime.Fast forward to the end of the last decade, when Idiscovered that Robin was planning to open a micro-pub in Bexhill, where he wasnow living. Several local member had visited the Brickmaker’sAlehouse and returned with glowing reports, but it wasn’t until late lastyear that I bumped into Robin again, when he turned up at the Nelson Arms, inTonbridge, for the Kent CAMA Pub of the Year presentation. The topic of his pubcame up in the conversation, and he seemed surprised, and possibly a littleshocked that I hadn’t visited the Brickmaker’s, so that flash of inspiration Ihad the other evening, was quite appropriate.
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Before writing about my visit, I ought to mention a familyconnection to Bexhill as, until relatively recently, Mrs PBT’s sister lived inthe town, She and her late husband Brian had a large bungalow, on the edge ofBexhill that they had lovingly restored and enlarged over the years, but sadly, Eileen’s sister Lynne’s husband, passed away in March 2020, rightat the beginning of the pandemic. A year or so after, Lynne moved to Uckfield tolive with her youngest daughter, in an annexe attached to the side of herproperty.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8Y0zd0nrqN6mKjr5RGQ9bLtMzv-BWTDp0HUVYN6XFRoFCUFCLxrgIYLn5XdZQxB5IbpPgMcn3BH8u vmiCcSHVEmtSUsSmrIY56dq12sKNbxDn8Efoiv9DhWMOXm0BUF R6S3RCovBObH1UAfw1hTL3htZMc6UxDXLZGmx__Q9Nx9EPN33_ hWQGey_KmM/w400-h225/Bexhill%20seafront.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8Y0zd0nrqN6mKjr5RGQ9bLtMzv-BWTDp0HUVYN6XFRoFCUFCLxrgIYLn5XdZQxB5IbpPgMcn3BH8u vmiCcSHVEmtSUsSmrIY56dq12sKNbxDn8Efoiv9DhWMOXm0BUF R6S3RCovBObH1UAfw1hTL3htZMc6UxDXLZGmx__Q9Nx9EPN33_ hWQGey_KmM/s4000/Bexhill%20seafront.jpg)
As a family, we would normally drive down to Bexhill, for catch-up visits, so it made a refreshing change letting the train do the driving instead.The journey of just under an hour from Tonbridge, involves taking the Hasting’s service, beforechanging trains at St Leonard's Warrior Square, just one stop before the seasidetown. I knew that the Brickmaker’s was close to the town centre, the seafront, andalso Bexhill station, but with an hour or so to kill, before the pub’sscheduled 2pm opening, the question arose as what to do in the meantime?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-njDfx_qD_XDvqfYkOSQCsKyEbvGZsB_JMt0rTAyjvoQ-19DWphr0BIAkIaB_zIGOHuqHWwPBxTQZi4RSBcNrJVpxBrhkWG 8a6WmH_gWbh8hVVncmvuudi_1daZAuQtVbTU8UJODy8PLG_Dhp 8yYy1oBYv_6evD7yXaxhJKIfkXQWfAeFtgxa-02YII/w400-h209/DLWP%20Rear%20left.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-njDfx_qD_XDvqfYkOSQCsKyEbvGZsB_JMt0rTAyjvoQ-19DWphr0BIAkIaB_zIGOHuqHWwPBxTQZi4RSBcNrJVpxBrhkWG 8a6WmH_gWbh8hVVncmvuudi_1daZAuQtVbTU8UJODy8PLG_Dhp 8yYy1oBYv_6evD7yXaxhJKIfkXQWfAeFtgxa-02YII/s3872/DLWP%20Rear%20left.jpg)
A short stroll down to the seafront provided the answer, inthe form of the De La Warr Pavilion, a grade 1 listed building, overlookingthe sea. This striking, futuristic-looking building was the result of an architecturalcompetition initiated by Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, after whomthe building was named. The Earl was a committed socialist and also Mayor of Bexhill,when he persuaded Bexhill council to develop the site as a public building The specificationfor the new building included the requirement an entertainment hall to seat atleast 1,500 people; a 200-seat restaurant; a reading room; and a lounge. The competitionwas won by architects, Erich Mendelsohn, and SergeChermayeff, with their striking international design, which is one of thefirst major Modernist public buildings in Britain.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzvho2xpYO0nCE_gCVnrUIl9k_d3J-UMnJ2fYV8xUoUO07pVx44iPdRa4cZX5fTIKoSK0yQeZsIpKjku DLOjW4SZXlWE0JKrGC89rpYyjXi1lMy7t81y7C45WKX2JHsOqV F3egUp1bZQvLiA2nx67Fw3IC-0aKJLewbjDIJzeiJBEO2f5JiJz0_yIxG8/w400-h200/DLWP%20rear%20mid.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzvho2xpYO0nCE_gCVnrUIl9k_d3J-UMnJ2fYV8xUoUO07pVx44iPdRa4cZX5fTIKoSK0yQeZsIpKjku DLOjW4SZXlWE0JKrGC89rpYyjXi1lMy7t81y7C45WKX2JHsOqV F3egUp1bZQvLiA2nx67Fw3IC-0aKJLewbjDIJzeiJBEO2f5JiJz0_yIxG8/s3743/DLWP%20rear%20mid.jpg)
Construction of the De La Warr Pavilionbegan in January 1935, and the building was opened in December of the sameyear by the Duke & Duchess of York, who later became King George VI & QueenElizabeth. Decades later, and with the privations of World War II in between,the building was starting to show serious signs of neglect. Various suggestionsand campaigns for its future followed but following a £6 million grant fromthe Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council of England, work began torestore the building and turn it into a contemporary arts centre. In October2005, after an 18-month long extensive programme of restoration, the De La WarrPavilion officially reopened as a contemporary arts centre, encompassing one ofthe largest galleries on the south coast of England.
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Well worth a look around then, and with some attractive paintingsof local fishermen, nice views along the coast towards Eastbourne and BeachyHead, plus that much needed comfort stop, after the train coffee had worked itsway through my system, what was not to like. The De La Warr also provided welcomeshelter from the cold north-easterly wind that was blowing along the coast. Somewhereamongst several boxes of old photographs, are several of me as toddler, lookingout to sea, taken from inside the pavilion, and date from a visit to the southcoast, with my parents. I shall dig them out, when I’ve got a spare moment, asthey must be about 65 years old.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidDyV-8KlWfTBsQQULoO5YWQU0pIYW4ZdH5W4LnsNwFx9a-jsDR2CVPSoUOAeJdtC7eIiYxLQEexo9kyzjXvOtVKOU4hdF8hX wTh5UkOZxV4wngSpy_FD34_Osc_W1KcfNdQGNyGHI5Kj8tMG3u fo1oum2MPPoMVfuHyUveO4GqKIG9oA4TnStPqQJDU/w400-h225/Brickmakers%20Ext%20wide.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidDyV-8KlWfTBsQQULoO5YWQU0pIYW4ZdH5W4LnsNwFx9a-jsDR2CVPSoUOAeJdtC7eIiYxLQEexo9kyzjXvOtVKOU4hdF8hX wTh5UkOZxV4wngSpy_FD34_Osc_W1KcfNdQGNyGHI5Kj8tMG3u fo1oum2MPPoMVfuHyUveO4GqKIG9oA4TnStPqQJDU/s4000/Brickmakers%20Ext%20wide.jpg)
Pleased after renewing my acquaintance with this iconic, modernistbuilding, I headed back to the Brickmaker’s Alehouse, arriving there shortlyafter opening time. I managed to beat a group of cyclists to the bar, after theywere delayed slightly by locking up their bikes, but I still wasn’t the first customerof the day. That honour went to the gent sat looking out of the front window,who asked me if was from the police, after witnessing me taking a couple of photosof the exterior. “Do I look like a policeman?” was my response, but leavingsuch possibilities aside, I strolled over to the bar, after first taking a lookat the casks racked up inside the glass-fronted, chill cabinet.
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After perusing the Brickmaker’s website (https://brickmakersalehouse.co.uk/), on my journey downto Bexhill, I’d already made my mind up as to which beers to go for, so afterstarting with a pint of Mallinson’s American SIPA, I moved on after to a glassof Abyss, from Neptune Brewery. Both beers, one a well-hopped, straw-colouredpale ale, whilst the other a smooth, easy-drinking, oatmeal stout, were intip-top condition, kept at just the right temperature, and served direct fromthe cask, by gravity, it was like being in beer heaven.
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I asked joint owner Martin, who I recognised from a photo onthe website (https://brickmakersalehouse.co.uk/), whether his partner Robin would be in later, but as he wouldn’t be, Ileft one of my cards with Martin, and asked if he would give it to Robin, whenhe next saw him. I then made myself at home, on one of the high stools-posingtables. One of the pub regulars, a chap also called Robin, asked if he couldjoin me. I nodded that he could, and we had an interesting chat about the pub,the local area, and places between Bexhill and Tonbridge, that we both knew.There was an interesting crowd in the pub, that afternoon,with the cyclists in particular getting stuck into their ale. Several othercustomers also popped in to get their carry-out containers filled, either withbeer or cider. I am not always a massive fan of micro-pubs, but this one certainlyseemed to be doing everything right. In 2021 the Brickmaker’s won the CAMRA“Conversion to Pub Use” national award, and in both 2022 and 2023 was localCAMRA Branch Pub of the Year, plus Cider Pub of the Year runner up. My onlygripe was the lack of food at the pub, as apart from nuts and crisps, that wasit.
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