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Brighton Road, WORTHING, BN11 2HA

Some progress has been made here on the corner of Navarino Road and Brighton Road. Well, hardly a wonderful piece of architecture, but it's better than the previous one. Flat roof? Worthing receives its fair share of gales. There may be trouble ahead ..... Image]

Large boulders of granite and limestone have been deposited in several places in recent years to prevent erosion undermining the road foundations. You'll get a tasty and substantial Sunday lunch at the Half Brick Pub.* *update December 2013 - not any more, you won't. All closed and converted into five apartments.

This somewhat unattractive seafront building on the corner of Brighton Road and Navarino Road is gradually being demolished in order to built flats or apartments. Twice, plans have been refused by the council despite the second set being agreed upon by neighbours. With "credit crunch" conditions and steeply falling property prices one wonders whether this saga will go on far longer than hoped. The terrace to the right is a listed building because it was designed and built by S Adshead (also responsible for the pier and other early 20th century structures in the town). As the Worthing Society interferes actively to prevent even basic improvements to such buildings, one wonders also whether they have any responsibility for the delays.

The smart but severe looking block of five seafront apartments on the corner of Ham Road and Brighton Road is the former Half Brick public house which closed in 2009. That pub served good real ale, excellent meals, and hosted a lively music scene. The pub chain owning it decided it could make more cash by selling it for housing development when the pub landlord refused to pay grossly increased rents, and no one else was prepared to do so. See also a 2008 image: Image] 2009: Image]

I remember the days when we were forbidden to ride our bicycles on the pavement. Now money is spent adding more street furniture and painting the pavements as if they are roads. Here, in fact, two cyclists meeting in opposite directions would have to be very careful not to wobble as they pass the near post.

This new structure is at the corner of Navarino Road and the A259 Brighton Road. January 2009: Image] December 2009: Image]

Ham Road is classified as the B2223, but is a difficult road to negotiate, parking on both sides restricting the width. The pub was, until April 2009, a particularly lively and welcoming venue for ale, meals, and real music - sadly no more - another case, it seems, of a pub "chain" being more interested in excess profit for shareholders than actually running pubs in a realistic and reasonable way for the local community. When publicans are forced more and more into charging over-the-top prices, even the efficient and well-liked ones are unable to attract enough customers. http://www.worthingpubs.com/halfbrick/halfbrick.htm More information: Image]

The A259 Brighton Road passes the former Half Brick public house (built in 1874) here at the junction with Ham Road.I have heard that the pub "management" group which owned the thriving real ale, food, and musical venue, pushed its rents and stock prices so high that the landlord decided enough was enough. No one else would accept their greedy terms so it was sold. Another good pub was lost to the profiteer venture capital culture. It has now been extended and modernised as flats, including raising the floor level of the ground floor as a concession to rising sea levels (!). This statement appeared in the Worthing Herald, "The Half Brick ceased trading in April, 2009, because of lack of custom from local residents." Rubbish. It was a popular well attended pub. December 2008: Image] December 2009: Image]