The owner of “one of the seafront’s largest business’” said he is “feeling positive” amid venue’s continued success.

Luke Davis founded Rockwater, on Hove seafront, in October 2019, transforming the previously dilapidated site of The Venue.

Almost seven years on Mr Davis is continuing to grow the business, having also opened a site in Branksome, Dorset, and has another set to open in Sandbanks soon.

Rockwater in Hove (Image: Supplied)

The Hove venue has a range offering including a first-floor bar and kitchen, outside decking area and roof terrace.

Most recently, it opened ‘The Pub’ which is on the buildings lower floor and offers a range of classic British food, sports screenings and traditional pub games.

Ahead of the terrace reopening in May and the busy summer months, Mr Davis sat down with The Argus to share his “positive” feelings for the business’ future.

The founding of Rockwater

Mr Davis took the leap into hospitality after moving to Hove with his family, having a previous background in financial services.

The entrepreneur shared how he first discovered the site while out looking for a local pub.

Mr Davis said: “I went off to find my local pub for a pint and there was a shack here. It didn’t look anything like it [does now], it was just a horrible little wooden shack, but it sold pints.

“I got to thinking, I wonder what you could do with this? It was in the middle of nowhere, as this area hadn’t been developed at all. There was nothing here whatsoever. So, I bought it, but I bought it with no delusions of grandeur. I thought I could do something fun with it.”

Luke Davis, founder of Rockwater

Having moved from London, Mr Davis explained how he wanted to create a multi-purpose venue which gave people access to a range of offering which he felt wasn’t as readily available in the area at the time.

As well as its food and drink offering, the site currently offers private hire and hosts a range of events and classes such as yoga, sip and paint, quiz nights, book club and comedy nights.

Mr Davis said: “When you move to the seaside from London, which a lot of people do, you compromise your lifestyle there for this. You give up access to the level of entertainment, food, comedy, health and well-being for the change of lifestyle.

“I thought why can’t you have one venue where you could go with the kids, you could go do business, you could be there on the laptop, you could do your yoga.”

“It really has changed the way the area is used for the better”

The venue sits opposite the beach, offering views across the seafront and direct access to the pebbles from the decking area.

Mr Davis described the location as in a “position of natural beauty”, having been among the reasons he was particularly drawn to the spot.

Over recent years, major work has been completed to develop Hove seafront, particularly the area surrounding Rockwater.

In May last year, Brighton and Hove City Council officially opened Hove Beach Park – which stretches from the King Alfred Leisure Centre to Hove Lagoon.

The new skatepark, BMX pump track, and roller rink (Image: na)

The over £13 million project included the creation of a skate park, sand sport area, pump track, padel and tennis courts, outdoor sports hubs, and new gardens and pathways.

The work also saw the opening of Babble, a rooftop café and bar, which sits on the top of the outdoor sports hub.

Mr Davis told The Argus how he felt Rockwater played a major role in helping put Hove seafront on the map and encourage further development in the area.

He said: “It was always the idea that if we were one of the first people to invest into this area, that hopefully that would be the catalyst to get more people down here.

“There’s a lot down here now and it’s completely changed the area. When we took Rockwater on it was literally just us and a bunch of people living in tents outside.

“It really has changed the way the area is used for the better, no one would ever come up here from Brighton before.”

Hitting the headlines

Over the years, the seafront venue has made the headlines for a variety reasons.

Most recently, plans to replace three of the venue’s seafront kiosks with saunas were approved by Brighton and Hove City Council.

Last July, Rockwater was targeted by vandals who smashed multiple glass windows and caused extensive property damage. While substantial damage was inflicted on the building, nothing was reported stolen from the premises.

Rockwater was subject to vandalism last summer (Image: Eddie Mitchell)

Taking the highs and lows in his stride, Mr Davis described it as a “six-year roller-coaster with lots of peaks and troughs”.

He said: “We’ve been through everything. We were one of the most talked about businesses in Brighton for years. We’ve had ups and downs.

“There’s been initiatives that I’ve launched that people haven’t liked. There’s been initiatives that I’ve not launched that people do like.

“There are people that love it and there’s people that hate it. But I think we’re probably, from a revenue point of view, one of the largest businesses along the seafront, certainly in hospitality. I’m feeling very positive.”

“The matcha king of Brighton”

The businessman also co-founded Helm Gallery, on North Road, Brighton.

The gallery, which is Brighton’s largest contemporary art space, has gained global recognition for its sell-out exhibitions and staunch support for emerging artists.

This has earned it praise from national media outlets, including The Guardian and BBC News.

Helm Gallery co-founders Luke Davis and Eden Maseyk (Image: Helm Gallery)

He explained how he took inspiration from the multi-purpose model of Rockwater to create a space which is inviting for everyone.

Mr Davis said: “I like the idea of concepts where it’s more than just a transaction. It says something about someone’s personality, or they identify with it.

“They might come to Rockwater because it’s about a lifestyle that they subscribe to. The same with Helm. But that’s why I put a bar in there, which also sells matcha and coffees.

“You can go in there and just enjoy the space, and it can be an introduction to art, but you don’t feel like you’re not under pressure. People aren’t looking you up and down to see if you can afford the art that’s on the walls.”

A post shared by Helm Gallery (@helmgallery_)

He addressed the gallery’s recent viral success selling matcha, with many people on social media users naming it among the best matcha spots in the city.

“I’ve become the matcha king of Brighton. I really wanted to sell art, but I sell a lot of matcha too. I mean, I’ll take it.”

Rockwater is open throughout the week and has a range of events scheduled throughout the summer months.