'Someone said to me, 'Whatever you do, dont ever go in the Golden Fleece; its full of that sort of people.' So the next night I went down there.'
James, first visit to a gay pub, 1955, Brighton Ourstory Project

In 1800, Brighton had one inn for every thirty houses. Local inns served many purposes; they were used for markets, auctions, and even for staging trials. As time passed, the better inns turned into hotels. Others became 'public houses', where working people drank and socialised in the evening.

Towards the end of the 1800s, there were two types of public house. Beer-houses served cheap beer and had no tables or chairs. Gin palaces were larger, ornately decorated with brass and glass, for 'a better class of customer'. By 1900, in poor districts even small streets had several pubs.

After the First World War, pubs tried to attract more people, especially women. However, with competition from dance-halls and cinemas, the number of pubs started to fall. In the 1950s, the breweries closed many small pubs. There are now about 900 licensed premises in Brighton, ranging from traditional 'locals' to fashionable pre-club bars.

See objects on display in the Pubs section of Exploring Brighton gallery