Back in 2012 Carl Salton-Cox was elected operations officer at the University of Sussex on the back of a campaign to open a union bar in Brighton.

Now, two years on, his plans to create a city centre university bar have become reality, as the union took over The Globe in Middle Street on Monday.

But regulars need not fear their favourite Lanes destination is set to become solely a student haunt.

“We are very respectful of the fact the pub has a great clientèle already,” says Emily Holliday, current operations officer.

“We don’t want to go in and completely reinvent it if people already enjoy going in there.”

The main differences will be seen during the week, when the downstairs library space will be turned over to societies and student activity.

“We wanted to create a safe space where students can put on events and call their own,” says Holliday. “We have spent the past two years looking at how to do it, and a partnership with Drink In Brighton was the best way forward. We’re hoping this partnership can flourish.”

Existing staff who wanted to stay are being kept on at the pub, and the popular burger menu is being revamped by new food providers T’s Smokehouse And Grill.

“It’s far removed from how people think student food to be,” says Holliday. “The burger menu has been really well received at The Globe, so T has devised a menu using smoked meats, including ribs and pulled pork. It’s a menu full of exciting things, from lobster claws to Coke floats, with a wide range of burgers. “We recognise a lot of students are on a limited budget so we wanted to make sure there was something for everyone, from the high-end burgers to cheap but filling food.

“For the first few weeks we are asking for feedback from people who come and try the menu.

“The bars on campus cater to mainly Sussex students due to their location. We look forward to having a venue that is more accessible to Brighton students as well as Sussex.”

The bar will offer a student card discount on certain drinks to make it an attractive venue to start a night out on the town.

  • The Globe, Middle Street, Brighton, 01273 770685. Open Sun to Thurs noon to 2am, Fri and Sat noon to 3am. Visit www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk/globe

 

FOR Tarik Elmoutawakil, taking over management of The Marlborough is the culmination of a dream he first had when he started working behind the bar in 2001.

“It was something I had toyed with on a number of occasions since David [Sheppeard] and I took over the theatre,” says Elmoutawakil, having managed the upstairs theatre space since 2008.

“The last manager, Hannah Waddington, did a fantastic job making the pub so friendly and creating more integration between the pub and the theatre. We felt it was the perfect time to take it on.”

He admits the plan is to keep things as stable as possible for staff and customers but build on a few recent successes, including the launch of pop-up burger kitchen Half Man! Half Burger! on Saturday afternoons from 1pm to 10pm.

“They’re selling out every time they’re here, so we’re looking to bring food back to the Marlborough, perhaps with different pop-ups on Thursdays and Fridays,” says Elmoutawakil.

“We want to bring back roasts on a Sunday too.”

He also hopes the theatre will have more of a presence in the bar, both in terms of offering a location where theatregoers can buy show tickets face-to-face without credit card booking fees, and offering more theatrical alternatives to some pub staples.

“I want to do a quiz night with a more performance element,” says Elmoutawakil. “We already have a few events that will be happening in the bar which were organised before we decided to take over.”

Lorraine Bowen is taking over downstairs on Thursday, March 6, from 8.30pm to 10.30pm, for a fun quiz to mark International Women’s Day. Entry will be a £2 donation to Brighton Women’s Centre.

“We are getting a lot of support from our regular theatregoers and bar customers on our Facebook page,” says Elmoutawakil, who participated in a “key-giving” ceremony with Waddington to underline the smooth transition of the pub to its new managers.

“Anyone who hasn’t seen the Marlborough in the past four months should pop in – it’s like the old Marlborough that we haven’t seen for a long time. “We want it to be a friendly and safe space for everyone – it’s known in the LGBT community as a fun, creative and vibrant place for whoever you are, as long as you’re not a douchebag!”

  • The Marlborough Theatre hosts Neo-Victorian cabaret The Steampunk Hidden Insectarium tomorrow (February 1), featuring live music, bizarre burlesque and a parlour game with special guest Lorraine Bowen. Tickets for the show, which starts at 8pm, cost £10.

 

  • The Marlborough, Princes Street, Brighton, 01273 570028. Open Sun to Thurs noon to midnight, Fri and Sat noon to 2am. Visit www.drinkinbrighton.co.uk/marlborough-pub