The team behind one of Brighton’s best-loved bars, the Marine Tavern in Broad Street will be calling last orders there for the very last time towards the end of the summer. Steve Chillingworth and his partner Nat Robinson, who have been running the pub for the past 12 years, have decided to move on
Steve Chillingworth and his partner Nat Robinson, who have been running the pub for the past 12 years, have decided to move on to other projects when their present tenancy agreement comes to an end in August.
Steve has been in the pub trade for more than 20 years. After returning to the UK in 1998 after a couple of years in Gran Canaria working with his former partner Stewart, Steve took over the Lion in Earls Colne, Essex.
After eighteen months running the Lion, the brewery invited them to take over Ruby’s (formerly Marilyns) in Providence Place, Brighton.
Steve said: “It was a good opportunity for us and so we took over Ruby’s in October 1999 – renaming it the Harlequin.”
The Harlequin soon became a very popular weekend night club catering for all walks of life and enjoyed by many diverse groupings within the LGBT communities of Brighton & Hove and beyond.
Steve and Nat met up in December 2001 and in 2002 they were asked by the brewery to take on the Marine Tavern as a feeder bar for the Harlequin, which worked very well.
Following the licensing reforms in 2005 they decided to let the Harlequin go so that they could focus their energies on the Marine Tavern. They did just that and quickly turned the Marine into the little pub with the big personality.
Under Steve and Nat’s stewardship the Marine Tavern has been one of the largest fundraising bars in the gay village consistantly punching above it weight and raising many, many thousands for local organisations both straight and gay.
James Ledward, editor of Gscene Magazine said: “It is the end of an era. The Marine Tavern is a true community pub where the landlord is on hand all the time beavering away quietly behind the scenes raising money for local organisations. For the size of the venue the amount of money they raise each year is quite staggering and needs to be acknowledged and celebrated far and wide.”
