Historic Pubs of Sussex
Welcome to my favourite Historic Pubs of Sussex! Below you will find a list of some of my favourite Historic Pubs of Sussex (Skip to them by clicking on the Table of Contents) but first, there is a little bit of history about them.
Table of Contents
If you are a visitor to the fair shores of the UK, then London is the main place to see in the South of England. However, there is a lot more to the South of England than London. The South is full of history, from Roman Villas to Castles and everything in between. To get a real experience of English villages and absorb some of its history, head south out of London and enjoy the Historic Pubs of Sussex!
The White Hart at Stopham. The bridge in the foreground had its centre arch blown up in the English civil war! Undoubtedly, a Historic Pub of Sussex!
These are not paid reviews
To find out more about the pub just click on its picture or name and its review will open in a new tab. And it’s worth mentioning as I do on every page;
‘As usual, on these reviews, we were not paid to do it, we paid for our own food and drink out of our own pockets and the staff had no idea we were reviewing! Therefore, I feel our review is exactly as you would experience when visiting the pub.’
Of course, I say we because sometimes my ‘Significant Other’ is with me, sometimes not. But, these are the pubs where I choose to spend my hard-earned money in. Indeed, it has been a pleasurable task to visit each of these again for the purposes of review. It’s like getting reacquainted with my childhood!
To reiterate, I don’t do paid reviews and I only include pubs that have something notable about them. However, If you know a pub that you think would make a good addition to this list, for historical or quirky reasons, leave a comment below in the
‘Post a Comment‘
section right at the bottom of the page. If it looks interesting, I will do one of my stealth visits and the review will be posted here. Not every pub makes the cut – perhaps three quarters do for various reasons. And the various reasons for a pub not making the cut are; bad service, bad food, bad experience and just plain boring..!
Historic Pubs of Sussex
The Black Horse Nuthurst
The Black Horse Nuthurst is a village in West Sussex and is one of those delightful hidden places you can find scattered through Sussex. The village itself feels quite well to do which made the extremely reasonable prices in the Black Horse even more surprising! Ordinarily, a pub like this would stick an extra £5 on the prices, just because they could!
The Chequers Inn Rowhook
The Chequers Inn Rowhook, just off the A29 south of Ockley, has some fabulous history and some great food. Even, allegedly, a couple of ghosts knocking about the place? The Chequers Inn Rowhook is a quiet out of the way rural pub with a reputation for great food! It’s a fab addition to my Historic Pubs of Sussex list.
The Star Inn Rusper
Looking for a pub to hide in? The Star Inn Rusper could be just the place! It has a Priest Hole, designed to hide Catholic Priests! Originally built in 1486, The Star Inn Rusper has always been a pub, however small. But now, it has expanded into the neighbouring cottages and has become a lovely rambling pub with all sorts of nooks and crannies. Right on the border of Sussex and Surrey…
The Pump House Brighton
You can have too much of a good thing, and if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Brighton Lanes, The Pump House Brighton is certainly just the place. After the full-on Lanes experience this was just the right place for a restorative drink and a bite to eat. The Pump House Brighton dates from at least 1776 and probably much earlier after all this is one of the oldest parts of Brighton. The Lanes…
The Fox Inn Rudgwick
So, a horse walks into a pub. Seriously, it does! It’s not a set up for a joke but an event that takes place at the Fox Inn Rudgwick, every Christmas day! The Fox Inn Rudgwick is technically in Bucks Green, but you’d be hard-pressed to find it on a map if you are not local, so I have listed it as Rudgwick, which is the nearest larger village. Now you can find it, prepare yourself for a lovely cosy pub with a Bridle Way running through it!
The Duke of Cumberland Arms in Henley
The Duke of Cumberland Arms in Henley is a very picturesque 16th-century pub hidden away just north of Midhurst. Certainly, it is a sight to behold. That is if you manage to find it. When I said hidden away, I wasn’t kidding! At the bottom of this page, I will give detailed instructions on how to find it. And take it from me, it is worth finding. This is an amazing gastropub with high-end restaurant-quality food.
The White Hart – Stopham
The White Hart Stopham stands next to Stopham Bridge, near Pulborough. It’s a great location to have a pub, right by the River Arun. And, in the rolling Sussex countryside. The bridge has been a crossing place for many, many years. And, as is usual in England, wherever two or three people gather, there will always be someone there to sell them a beer! And it’s a great addition to ‘My Historic Pubs of Sussex’.
The Black Rabbit Arundel
The Black Rabbit Arundel or, as us locals used to call it, the Mucky Bunny. I grew up about 4 miles from Arundel and the Black Rabbit was always a firm favourite of places to go. Its location is quite spectacular on the banks of the River Arun. On a lovely summers day, looking out across the Arun valley with the Arundel Castle in the background, you could be in a time warp. It’s hard to see anything that’s changed in 500 years!
The Swan Fittleworth
The earliest parts of The Swan Fittleworth, date from 1382 but it is believed that an earlier Saxon building stood here. The Swan became a coaching Inn in 1536, offering rooms and a change of horses on the route from London. The Swan has a large beer garden and is great for a pint on a nice sunny day as well as having a spacious seating area inside. Situated in the sleepy village of Fittleworth, the Swan is a great addition to my Historic Pubs of Sussex.
Shepherd and Dog, Fulking
I have been to the Shepherd and Dog in Fulking many times over the years and I keep coming back. I think it must be the quirkiness of the layout. It’s higgledy-piggledy. It looks as if it has spread out over the years and has now become a cosy, quaint rambling pub. The outside seating area is great I have sat outside in the summer and the view of the South Downs rising steeply behind it is quite breathtaking.
The Pub is the centre of the Village
Britain is rightly famous for its history and nowhere illustrates it better than the village pub. A meeting place and watering hole, the village pub has been the centre of village life for centuries. Certainly, the traditional village pub is steeped in history and wears it’s age well.
Read more about Sussex
The list below is in no particular order. But, what I have chosen are the pubs I like. And, the pubs I visit on multiple occasions. Being born and bought up in Sussex gives me a good insight into pubs that are good. My Historic Pubs of Sussex list contains some very old places, some which are good for views and some which are good for food. Certainly a mixed bag and a very mixed average price!
Knowing the Historic Pubs of Sussex
I grew up in Sussex, and I certainly know the pubs of Sussex well! I have chosen the ones on my list for a number of reasons. Sometimes they are old or quirky and some have great food and drink. Some, of course, have all of these features. In this case, I have been to every single pub on this list multiple times to check the quality.
Aahhh, don’t thank me, it’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it! A lot of the Historic Pubs of Sussex listed here are regular favourites where I happily go and spend my time and money, who knows, I might see you there!
My Historic Pubs of Sussex
The Duke of Cumberland Arms – Henley
All prices correct at time of writing.
If you are looking for Historic Pubs in Surrey, click here.
Disclaimer: In short, some of the links on this site are affiliate links. These means that if you click on the link and buy the item, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The money helps go towards the upkeep of the site – so it’s a win-win for both of us! Any videos used on this site if not my own, are, of course, used within Youtube’s sharing guidelines…