The Basketmakers Arms, Brighton

Occupying a street corner position on the edge of the North Laine area, is The Basketmakers Arms, a smallish former Gales house, now of course part of the Fullers empire. A prominent notice on the front door tells us that The Royal Oak has reopened, being run by the same people as The Basketmakers. Windows are covered with CAMRA Good Beer Guide stickers and various framed articles from magazines and guides extolling the pub’s attractions. A small L shaped bar counter serves 2 adjoining bare boarded, low ceilinged rooms with basic padded benches and stools around the perimeter. The walls are decorated with an impressive collection of tobacco tins, enamel signs, old photos etc. Of particular note is an old photo of the pub in 1912 and a photo of Piddinghoe FC in 1923/24, who were apparently a Lewes League team. Several old looking enamel signs advertise the wares of the former Gales Brewery, whose products are of course now brewed at Chiswick. Also noted were some old Southern Railway signs and a large green triangular YHA sign. The pub menu tells us that it offers “carefully prepared rustic cooking using locally sourced seasonal ingredients”, which seems to be very de rigeur nowadays. This pub has something of a local feel – despite the proximity of the bohemian North Laine area, it doesn’t seem to get the masses of tourists and visitors you might expect. On my recent Friday lunchtime visit, an impressive bank of 8 pumps offered 6 Fullers / Gales beers plus 2 guests – Butcombe Bitter plus Castle Rock Elsie Mo’s. The Butcombe Bitter - £ 3.30p – was in good form. The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular. My recent visit was my first since it became under the Fullers regime. Pleasingly, they’ve left the place alone, presumably on the basis that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Even the griffin logo high up on the outside wall is relatively small and unobtrusive. You should include this one in any Brighton crawl