Hove

Hove is a seaside town in East Sussex, England. It is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton.

Originally, Hove was a small fishing village with open farmland around it. But it grew fast during the 19th century because of its neighbor, Brighton. By the time of the Victorian era, Hove had become a fully developed town with its own borough status.

Over time, neighboring areas such as Aldrington and Hangleton were added to Hove in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Later, in 1974, the urban district of Portslade also joined Hove. Then, in 1997, Hove merged with Brighton to form the Borough of Brighton and Hove. This new borough was given city status in the year 2000.

Name and etymology

Old spellings of Hove include Hou (from the Domesday Book in 1086), la Houue (1288), Huua (13th century), Houve (13th and 14th centuries), Huve (14th and 15th centuries), Hova (16th century), and Hoova (1675). For a long time, people argued about where the name came from. Some thought it might mean "hall" or "sanctuary" from an Old Norse word, maybe linked to a Bronze Age barrow near today’s Palmeira Square. Others suggested it came from an Old English phrase meaning "at the hall," or from words meaning "shelter" or "covering." Another idea was that it came from a Middle English word for "anchorage." The modern name was once pronounced "Hoove," but the way we say it today is more recent.

Geography and topography

The northern parts of Hove are built on chalk beds, which are part of the White Chalk Subgroup found across southeast England. The area also has clay and sandy soil, with places like the Woolwich Formation and Reading Formation clay. Hove’s beaches are storm beaches. They are mostly made of shingle at high tide but expose sand at low tide. The sand is shallow and good for playing in the water.

Until the 1800s, Hove was mostly farmland with three main farms—Wick, Goldstone, and Long Barn. The land was rich and grew crops like oats, barley, corn, and vegetables. There are no rivers in Hove today, but an underground stream called the West Bourne used to flow there. A large stone called the Goldstone once stood northwest of the village and was moved to Hove Park in 1906. Most of Hove is now built up, but it still has some downland areas used for sheep grazing and farming.

History and development

Hove is a seaside town in East Sussex, England, next to the famous city of Brighton. It began as a small fishing village but grew quickly in the 1800s when nearby Brighton became popular.

Long ago, fossils of ancient animals have been found in Hove. In old times, people built a big stone circle called a burial mound. Hove stayed small for many years, with just a few houses and a church. By the 1700s, the town was very close to the sea and often affected by erosion.

During the Victorian era, Hove started to grow into a proper town. New neighborhoods like Brunswick and Cliftonville were built, featuring large homes along wide streets. Even famous people have lived in Hove, enjoying its seaside charm. In the early 1900s, Hove lost its old town hall to a fire but built a new one. During the two World Wars, Hove played an important role, with its buildings used for training and strategy meetings. Sadly, during World War II, bombings caused many deaths in the area.

Governance and politics

See also: Public services in Brighton and Hove

Former Hove borough

The area called Hove was very small a long time ago, with only 778 acres and 101 people in 1801. Over many years, Hove grew and changed its local government. In 1829, landowners asked for help to improve roads, lights, and drainage in the Brunswick Town area. This created groups called commissioners to manage different parts of Hove. These groups were later united into one in 1873. In 1893, Aldrington joined Hove, and in 1894, the Hove Commissioners were replaced by an Urban District Council. Hove became a Municipal Borough in 1898 after receiving a royal charter. It grew more in 1927 by adding nearby areas. The local government had a mayor, ten aldermen, and thirty councillors. The first town hall was built in 1882. In 1997, Brighton and Hove joined to form Brighton and Hove City Council.

Coat of arms

Before joining with Brighton, Hove had its own coat of arms. The design shows symbols from Hove’s past. It includes ships to remember French raiders who attacked the coast long ago. Other parts show important local churches and an old landowner, William de Warenne, whose blue and gold colours are in the background.

Commercial

The town center was updated in the late 1990s when George Street became a place for people to walk. Some people, including local shop owners and the newspaper The Argus, worried this would hurt business, but these worries turned out to be wrong. In 2003, a big Tesco supermarket opened where an old gasometer used to be.

Landmarks and attractions

Places of worship

See also: List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove and List of demolished places of worship in Brighton and Hove

Hove used to be part of a larger area with Preston. As the town grew, new churches were built. St Andrew's Church was an old church that needed rebuilding. St Helen's Church still looks simple from old times. Other churches like St Peter's Church, St Leonard's, and more were built for new neighborhoods.

Hove has churches from different Christian groups. The Church of the Sacred Heart was the first Roman Catholic church, starting in 1876. Methodist, Baptist, and other groups also built their own places to meet. Some older churches have closed, but many still help the community.

Hove Museum of Creativity

Hove Museum of Creativity is a public museum. It has collections of toys, crafts, art, and items from the town's history. It also has special shows of new crafts.

Education

Hove has many places where children can learn. There are several primary schools, such as West Blatchington Primary and Nursery School, St. Andrew's CE School, and Hove Junior School. For older students, there are four secondary schools including Blatchington Mill School, Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Hove Park School, and King's School.

There is also a special college called Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College, where students can continue their studies after secondary school. Hove is also home to private schools like Deepdene School and The Montessori Place, as well as language schools for students from other countries.

Sport and leisure

The Sussex County Cricket Club plays at the County Cricket Ground, Hove. This place is used for cricket games, concerts, and fireworks shows. It became popular again when a new cricket style called Twenty20 was introduced.

Until 1997, the football team Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. played at the Goldstone Ground. The team, known as The Seagulls, now plays in a new stadium in Falmer, which opened in 2011.

Hove has a branch of the Sussex Army Cadet Force, a group for young people aged 12 to 18. The Brighton & Hove Hockey Club also plays field hockey here.

The town has many parks, such as Hove Park and St. Anne's Well Gardens. There is also the King Alfred Centre, a place to swim and exercise near the sea.

A walking race called Hove Promenade parkrun began in 2015 and happens every week along the seafront. The long walking path called the Monarch's Way goes through Hove before heading toward Shoreham-by-Sea.

"Hove, actually"

People in Hove often joke by saying "Hove, actually" when someone asks if they live in nearby Brighton. This helps keep the town’s identity separate from its famous neighbor. The actor Laurence Olivier, who lived in Brighton, may have started this saying. In the 1990s, the local government used "Hove, actually" to attract visitors to the town.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Brighton and Hove

Hove has important roads, including the A259 along the seafront. Other roads like the A270 and A2023 connect Hove to nearby areas.

Many bus routes pass through central Hove, mostly run by the Brighton & Hove bus company. These buses go to places like Whitehawk, Mile Oak, Shoreham-by-Sea, and Brighton railway station. There are also coaches and other bus services in the area.

Hove has several railway stations, including Hove railway station, Aldrington railway station, and Portslade railway station. These stations have regular trains to places like London Victoria, Brighton, and Southampton.

Notable residents

Hove has been home to many interesting people. Some of these include Luigi Arditi, an Italian composer, and Jonathan Bailey, a well-known actor. Other famous residents were Charles Busby, an architect, and Vivien Chartres, a talented violinist. The town has also been home to sports figures like Sir Jack Hobbs, a famous cricketer, and boxer Charley Mitchell. Writers and artists have also lived in Hove, such as Margaret Powell, a writer born there, and artist Ann James.