Hove Seafront Railings: 300 Metres Back to Bare Metal

Specialist contractors started work on 10 August on about 300 metres of Hove’s cast iron seafront railings, stripping them back to bare metal with a technique called garnet blasting. As the paint comes off, the detail the council expects to reappear is the one most people walk past without seeing: the Sussex martlets cast into the circle at the centre of every panel (Brighton & Hove City Council, 4 August 2026).

The stretch being treated runs west of the Meeting Place café. The railings are covered while the work is done, and this first phase is due to finish in September.

Why the paint is coming off, not going on

Garnet blasting removes every layer of accumulated paint and takes the metal back to a clean surface before repainting. The council says it settled on the method after trialling different paint systems and preparation techniques, and that it lasts considerably longer than the alternatives, which matters on a structure standing in salt spray all winter.

That durability argument is the reason for the odd-looking schedule. Phase one stops in September, the work pauses through autumn and winter, and phase two starts in spring 2027, once temperatures rise and the winter storms have passed. Paint applied to seafront ironwork in a Sussex January does not stay on it.

The same phase includes restoring the shelter opposite Waterloo Street. Earlier this year, volunteers helped the council restore and repaint eleven of Hove’s “cucumber benches” along the seafront.

What the railings actually are

The railings are not decoration bolted on later. They arrived with the sea wall, and the council’s own heritage record sets out the sequence.

After a damaging storm in 1880, a sea wall was built between the Hove Lawns and the beach. The work was carried out between 1884 and 1886 under the direction of Sir John Coode, and the seafront railings were installed as part of it. They run from Hove Street to the Brighton boundary, with granite steps down to the beach at regular intervals (King’s Esplanade seafront railings, local list entry LLHA0101).

The paint scheme is specified, not improvised: dark green to BS 4800 14 C 39, with a silver handrail. Each panel carries two heraldic shields, each holding three martlets, which the council’s record says is most likely a reference to the crest of the Borough of Hove. The martlet, a small footless bird, is the emblem of Sussex and appears on the county’s arms.

The railings are on the council’s local list of heritage assets, which is a step below national listing but a material planning consideration. The council’s stated reasons include that they are “a good example of historic public railings of a design not seen elsewhere in the city”, that they give the Hove seafront “a clear distinction to the Brighton seafront”, and that “the full length of the railings appears to survive largely intact”.

That last line is the quiet point. Whatever else has gone from the Hove seafront in 140 years, the railings are still there, end to end.

The council is asking for help maintaining them

Councillor David McGregor, cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism, said in the announcement: “Maintaining the seafront is an ongoing challenge and projects like restoring the railings are a huge undertaking.”

Alongside that, the council says it would welcome community groups interested in adopting a section of railing, or a restored shelter, and helping with minor upkeep. The eleven benches restored earlier in the year were done with volunteer help, so the offer is not theoretical.

What it means for you

If you walk or cycle the Hove promenade: expect the covered section west of the Meeting Place café until September, then a clear run through the winter before the work resumes in spring 2027. The council has not announced any promenade closure, only that the railings themselves are covered while being treated.

If you are wondering what you are looking at: once the blasting is done, look for the circle at the centre of each panel. The three martlets in the shields have been under paint for a long time.

If you belong to a residents’ group, civic society or business improvement group on the seafront: the adoption offer is open, and it is aimed at exactly that kind of organisation.

This is one of several pieces of seafront work running at once. The council links it to the Madeira Terrace restoration on the Brighton side and to Hove Beach Park in the west. Separately, the approved £65 million King Alfred leisure centre scheme includes relocating another locally listed seafront shelter to the lower promenade, which we covered in our report on what the King Alfred decision actually approved.

For what else is worth a walk along this stretch, see our guide to things to do in Brighton.