V. Lo-Fi, in one of Hove’s most interesting shops

Spotted something rather wantable in Oliver’s Clock Shop, 15

Cross Street, yesterday, and for once it wasn’t a clock. (I have lusted after

various timepieces in this establishment ever since I first walked past).

There

was a rather splendid wind-up gramophone in the window and Mr Clive Oliver, the

joint proprietor, told me he had another one upstairs. It turned out that they

are reproductions and one of them needs some new needles. But Mr Oliver said

that he will throw in a collection of old 78s to the buyers, and the gramophones are

priced at £75 each. They do really look the part.

It was good to have an excuse to pop into one of Hove’s most

delightful little shops. I say Hove, but to be totally exact, apparently only

half the shop is within the boundary. Mr Oliver told me that the building goes

back to 1804, making it one of the oldest properties in the district, and that

Cross Street used to be known as ‘Clock Street’ because this is where Brighton

and Hove came for its clock and watch repairs and for new timepieces.

Now it is the only shop left in the street, and it is a

delightful place to visit, with hundreds of old clocks on view. Not just whole clocks, either, but bits of

clocks, cases, faces, movements, weights, hands, everything you might need to

look at if you’re a bit funny about clocks as I am.  Mr O told me that at one stage the upstairs was used as a

brothel, and that during the 1940s-50s it was a fish and chip shop. Currently

the frontage is being restored and it doesn’t look too impressive from the

outside, but a little treasure trove lies within.

Perhaps when it was a house of ill-repute, such old wind-up

gramophones were used there to help entertain the customers during the

proceedings? I fear I shall never know.