"HOVE INTO VIEW! (BRIGHTON'S RESPECTABLE... " a Hove Travel Page by themajor

Well might you ask Sirrah...and so I shall tell you! Hove is the respectable elder brother of that raffish ne'er-do-well Brighton. If Brighton was where you died to live, Hove was where you lived to die. Once separate and snooty, Hove's independence as a separate town and borough was cruelly snatched away by our political masters, who announced a hasty shotgun wedding with our errant neighbour and produced that Jekyll and Hyde of conurbations, the 'City of Brighton and Hove'.

In truth we probably gained more than we lost. Although the two towns had always enmeshed invisibly, it was Brighton who had the notable lions share of restaurants etc. For most of the last century Hove has had neither nightclubs, cinemas nor theatres...in fact this is true to this very day...'er, though I am told there is a lap-dancing emporium near the municipal library. No, compared to Brighton Hove has always been quiet, which is why people often preferred to live on this side of the divide. You could use Brighton's amenties and then scuttle off to seek sanctuary over the border.

There are to this day a goodly smattering of celebrities who live in Hove but alas, when quoted in trendy newspaper columns they inevitably claim their abode is in Brighton. There is in fact a little 'Millionaires Row' of white villas on Hove seafront complete with their own private beaches and resident celebs. These include Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather, Fat Boy Slim and his missus Zoe Ball, Nick Cave, Nick Berry (who he?) etc...and yes, they are sometimes seen strolling around like the normal human beings they really are. It must however be pointed out that is far better to stroll on the promenade than the beach. For if there is one thing we have in common with our noisier neighbour it is the preponderence of pebbles and the shortage of sand. So if you come for a dip and fancy a spot of sunbathing do turn up with plenty of natural padding or a good thick beach towel!