The archetypal poet is imagined composing sonnets amid a host of daffodils, in a garret or a smoky Parisian bar complete with beret.

However, Ros Barber has proved you should never judge a book by its cover.

Ros, a poet from Lansdowne Place, Hove, has become poet-in-residence at a barber's shop.

Since March, Ros, 37, has been sitting in the corner of the Gwydyr Saloon in Palmeira Square, Hove, busily scribbling down poems amid shampoo and scissors.

Ros was inspired to write poetry in the barber's not only because of the play on her surname but also because of her fascination with the traditional Hove business.

Gwydyr Saloon was established as a barber's in 1890 and still has an old-fashioned air with furniture dating back to the 1930s.

Ros said: "I used to walk past it every morning when I was taking my son to nursery school and was fascinated by it."

After an application to South-East Arts to work as an artist-in-residence, Ros was given the go-ahead. She said: "It is such a male environment but the customers have either been very friendly to me or feel uncomfortable because of me. I've put a sign up over my head now to say 'don't worry, I'm a poet'."

The owner of the saloon, Tom Boden, has noticed a few differences since Ros's residency. He said: "The boys who work for me like to see Ros here. She's quite attractive, after all.

"We've hung her poems on the walls around the shop and in the foyer. We often wonder where our customers are, only to find them in the foyer reading poetry."

Ros, who describes her poetic style as dark-edged and occasionally humorous, has written poems based on ancient myths revolving around hair, such as the story of Samson, Medusa and Sweeney Todd.

She has also written poems from overheard conversations between the barbers and their customers.

She said: "I'm writing a poem called Snippets which I write each time I go in the barber's.

"I have put in a snippet of conversation from each of my visits there, because, although they have the radio on, I hear the odd sentence and think 'ooh, that sounds interesting'."

Ros became interested in poetry from a young age.

When she was just 14, her English teacher sent a collection of Ros's poetry to the late Ted Hughes, who wrote back with words of encouragement.

She said: "He said it's difficult to know what to do with talent when it arises at such an early age. Obviously he was an inspiration."

Ros, originally from Colchester, moved to Brighton in her early 20s to study biology at Sussex University. However, the change of subject helped rather than hindered her ensuing poetry.

She said: "All the people I knew who wrote poetry studied English literature at university. I was quite interested in science anyway but also thought that it would give me an edge on the competition as a poet."

Last year Ros was selected as poet of the year by the Blue Nose Poetry Association and she has been awarded three commendations in a national poetry competition.

When she is not composing poems, Ros works as a tutor on Sussex University's creative writing certificate and MA. She hopes to bring out a pamphlet of her poetry after her residency has finished next month.