Seneca envisaged them as smiling nude maidens. The Florentine philosophers thought they represented the three stages of love: beauty, desire and fulfillment. And among those who have had a go at depicting them in art are Antonio Canova, Francesco Del Cosa, Botticelli, Pontormo and, most famously, the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael.

The Three Graces have been celebrated ever since the days of Greek mythology, but their popularity has waned somewhat since their 15th century peak. Half a millennium later, though, they are making a re-appearance – not in Italy, as art lovers might have anticipated, but rather in Hove, on the corner of Portland Road and Raphael Road. Hence the name.
 
Though the area already has its share of top-notch food-orientated pubs such as the Ancient Mariner, The Three Graces aims to bring to the area something more akin to the spirit of the Mash Tun or the Earth & Stars. There’s also first-rate pub grub, including an express lunch menu offering jackets, sandwiches or soup for just £3.95.
 
For those familiar with that neck of the woods, it was previously the location of that red-brick bank-turned-bistro, The Vault.