'No longer enjoyable' - LGBTQ+ bar in Eastbourne to permanently close
An LGBTQ+ bar in Eastbourne will permanently close in October.
The Hart in Cavendish Place announced on social media that it will close its doors on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
A spokesperson for the bar said it was ‘no longer enjoyable’ to run it, citing difficulties within the hospitality industry.
Andrew Morris has owned the establishment since 2003.
A spokesperson for The Hart said: “With the hospitality industry being as difficult as it is recently with increasing energy bills, lack of help from local and national government and a decreasing footfall everywhere, running The Hart is no longer enjoyable.
“We would like to thank our customers, staff past and present and suppliers for the great laughs we’ve all had over the years.”
The bar will host its final “Harty Laughs Comedy Club” on Friday, September 25, and its last “Sunday Sins with Fonda Cox” event at 3pm on Sunday, September 27.
Fonda Cox, a London and South East based drag queen, posted on social media in the wake of the news.
They said: “This was the birthplace of Fonda. The first place I ever performed in.
“Fonda probably wouldn’t have ever existed if Andrew Morris hadn’t taken a chance on a queen with a dream. He gave me a stage and I built it into a career. I will be eternally grateful for that.”
The Hart was first built as a “Gentleman’s hotel” in 1875 and was formally known as The Hartington Hotel.
It was named after Spencer Cavendish, the eighth Duke of Devonshire and Marquess of Hartington, whose nickname was “Harty Tarty”.
The Hart’s closure will come after two of Brighton’s best-known LGBTQ+ bars – R-Bar and Charles Street Tap – both announced in August that they would be closing.