Hove is SO bracing that if I put on my waders (and a few stone in weight) and skipped down the beach, I’d be in breach of Skegness’s copyright. At least, it was when I was there: the windsurfers were crashing the speed limit and the kite surfers were in danger of paragliding to Paris.

Being severely geographically challenged, I had always thought Hove was a visibly separate entity from Brighton , rather than a continuity of the Brighton and Hove seafront. But the architectural and social differences are there to be seen. Subtle differences, of course – it isn’t exactly crossing the border between North and South Korea , let alone the boundary between Shepherds Bush and Holland Park. At the risk of being accused of an obsession with size, the properties are bigger than those on the Hanover trail with which I started last week. Still terraces, but these are the famous terraces of billowing Regency stucco into which a new Frank Gehry building may soon be parachuted. Well, it can’t be any worse than the King Alfred leisure centre that’s there now. Maybe he could redesign the hideous Hove Town Hall while he’s at it.

With an Open House online route chosen to highlight Hove ’s ceramics, sculpture and paintings, I arrived at Stables Studio as it opened at 11am to find a sculptor outside already hammering away. The studio is hosted by Deryk Parkin, a former architect who says he suspected he was in the wrong career when his third building collapsed. Deryk’s landscapes in acrylic and driftwood are inspired by his extensive travels, but the studio specialises in African stone sculptures. On show are Deryk’s own sculptures and pieces by Zimbabwean artists King Munya, Elvis Mamvura and Antony Sarireni in which, typically, forms emerge from the original shape of the stone, which is rough-hewn or polished to provide contrast and emphasis. These are displayed throughout the house and in a lush, secluded garden where you can have coffee and cake. I particularly noted Antony Sarireni’s small garden figures, Love Birds and Mother’s Concern. There’s a lot more to see, including bright, colourful landscapes by Mary Tempest and a small, private collection of African sculptures, so I’m sorry to hear Deryk say attendances this year have been “hopeless”. Maybe it’s been the weather, but even so there are several couples roaming the studio as I leave, and head for 48 Ventnor Villas.

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