The Egremont and adjoining brewery was built in 1835 by George Greenfield, later it become the Worthing Steam Brewery after being acquired by Walter Greenfield in 1870. In 1880 to 1920 it was taken over by Harry Chapman and renamed the Tower Brewery. Fortunately the Pub that fronted it remained the Egremont.

We believe the Egremont name is in honour of the Earl of Egremont. Supporting evidence can be found on the outside of the building in the form of a coat of arms featuring three lion heads and a chevron.

The Tower Brewery was acquired by Kemp Town Brewery in 1924 and closed in 1926. It has since been converted into flats.

Worthing was becoming a popular holiday resort and combining a pub and a hotel became more commonplace. The doors above show the classic division of people. The Public bar was for everyone while the Lounge or Saloon bar would offer more comfort, perhaps a fire place and soft furnishings, all at a cost of perhaps an extra penny or two a pint. The modern-day hotel became the natural progression from the old coaching inn following the demise of the horse and buggy. Many a stable turned into a car park.

It is worthwhile noting that the Hotel entrance did allow you to go upstairs without having to pass through the bar, although a door just inside still offered you the opportunity to change your mind!

Hayden Evans behind the bar in the 70s.

My childhood home: My dad, Hayden Evans, was the landlord and was passionate about making the pub a really fantastic place. He installed a dining room where he served great food (he was a fine chef), and created the Jolly Boat Bar at the back of the building, which he decorated with boats, fishing nets, oars and a fab display of tropical fish. My two sisters and I spent many happy hours on the pin-tables and football machine (when the bar was closed) and watched Dr Who on the big colour TV that dad had set up in the saloon.

He renovated the hotel rooms on the top floor, where actors doing rep at the Connaught would stay for weeks. There was also a Club Room (where the big first-floor window is on the Warwick Road side of the building) where people would come and play folk music (and drink, of course).

Jude Evans

This image, left, was taken in the early 2000s and shows a rather shoddy, lacklustre structure. Its clientele was made up of diehard regulars and was sadly uninviting to those passing. It was a dying pub and closed soon after this picture was taken.

To take over such a large building that needed a lot more than a coat of paint would inevitably result in it being knocked down or turned into flats.

2015 we welcome Greg Grundy, a locally born, successful man with a passion and desire to turn this around, and restore the building back to its early life as a Kemp Town pub. what he achieved was extraordinary, and we watched it happen.

Not a cosmetic job, this was down to the bone, floor to ceiling, and taking advantage of installing soundproofing.

We were delighted to be able to visit the ongoing work. Greg had plans and that involved getting everything right first time.

His greatest achievement was perhaps the restoration of the outside capturing how it looked in the interwar years in fine detail and retailing the original windows and doors.

 Time Line

1835 - 1870 George Greenfield
1870 - Walter Greenfield
1880 - 1920 Harry Chapman
1920 - Ernest Adams
1924 - Kemp Town Brewery
1926 - Closed
1929 - KTB modernised the building
1963 - 1974 Hayden Evans
1980s - Roy and Janet Pollard
2014 - Greg Grundy

Back in 2017, Goole Street view captured the inside, to take a look, click here