Photos and articles about Brighton and Hove in the time of coronavirus. See our collection and add your own!

Photos: then and now

112 Church Street

Image reproduced with permission from Brighton History Centre
Photo by Mike Snewin 2004

Comments about this page

  • Had many happy evenings at the Pink Pony, as it was known throughout the end of the 80s and early 90s when owned by Tony. The place was more like a social club than a pub, you’d always know someone in there. It’s never been the same since!

    By Gino (01/09/2008)
  • My grandmother’s parents were the publicans there in the 30s/40s. She was quite young when they ran it but would tell us stories about feeding the funeral horses that were stabled round the back of the pub. Hence the name The Black Horse.

    By A Majsai (11/08/2011)
  • I worked part-time at the Black Horse from around ’72 -’74. The couple who ran the place were Mike and Pat, both wonderful but formidable characters, necessary for a town centre pub! There were still many locals who frequented the pub, but a big part of the business was during concerts held at the Dome.The “ushers” as they were known, would come over for a swift half while the concerts were on. I was allowed to pop over and have a five minute or so look at any act that took my interest. I had the great privilege of watching David Bowie on his Aladdin Sane at the Dome, if only for five minutes!

    By Chris Henman (07/02/2018)
  • I recall many a happy night out at the “Pink Pony” throughout the 90’s, with my great friends Tony & Bill, with the occasional visit from the ever so ditsy friend of Tony’s, Miss Sue Pollard!
    Never have I met such generous and loyal friends and you were always guaranteed a camp night out or raucous Sunday afternoon, drinking lots of those neon pink grapefruit “Hooch”! Now who remembers those! The original lemon ones were OK, but you were definitely part of the camp crowd if you were downing the pink variety! 😆
    Sundays were always the highlight of the week, even more than a Saturday night out! I recall many a lazy Sunday lunch, watching the inimitable Dave Lynn or David Raven and who could ever forget the ultra talented Mr Michael Topping on keyboard and his naughty ditties! I regret not staying in touch with all of them!
    I really do miss that part of my life. I WAS young, handsome & single back then! 😆. I have no regrets whatsoever, apart from the not keeping in touch bit! You have to recall that mobile phones still weren’t widely available to the masses as they are today in our “throw away” society!

    I lost touch sadly when I moved back “up North” & always wondered whatever happened to Tony and Bill after they left the Black Horse behind!
    Can anyone help with any news about them?
    The good news is that I’m back from the frozen North now!
    My watch at the wall has ended and I can’t wait to catch up with some dear friends.

    By Stuart (06/11/2021)
  • My great-grandmother’s younger brother William Henry Button (father of the William Button who was mayor of Brighton in 1961) ws licensee of the Black Horse from about 1901 until 1903, after his return from Australia where he had owned the Phillip Island Hotel, Victoria. William Henry led a complicated life, including military service in the Sudan campaigns in the 1880s, but died at the age of only 48 in 1908. If anyone has information about him – either in Brighton or in Kent in the early 1900s – I would be very keen to fill in some of the many gaps!

    By Stephen Henley (07/02/2024)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.