The New Oak, Hollingbury, Brighton

The County Oak is a large local’s pub with an estate feel in the residential streets of North Brighton. The bar area is in the centre of the pub where a standard draught selection can be found alongside two hand pumps that were drawing Harvey’s Best and Old Speckled Hen during my early evening visit on Saturday. The room to the left of the bar houses two pool tables, a dartboard and a jukebox that was intermittently playing songs as nobody had put any money in. A band was setting up in the busier right hand room where there is another dartboard. There is regular live music advertised and karaoke is advertised for Friday nights. Plasma screens are dotted throughout the pub and the one in the bar was showing the National Lottery to some hopeful regulars. I didn’t see any Sky Sports advertisements but I would be surprised if football isn’t shown here. The two groups of locals that I came across during my visit were both very friendly and this would be my regular haunt if I lived locally.