The Cricketers, Brighton

The sign outside this nice traditional Lanes pub claims that this is the oldest pub in Brighton – supposedly dating back to 1547 – although this, like many claims of its type, is open to debate. Whether it’s the oldest or not, you still get to experience a very nice traditional interior, with the entrance taking you past an etched glass screen which would once have helped create separate rooms, but now stands redundantly between the door and servery. The room is carpeted with lots of dark wood, etched glass and fancy modern wallpaper creating an opulent look typical, if somewhat updated, of the Victorian era. The servery is quite impressive and boasts some fine integral lamps on the bar counter as well as a bar back decorated with horse brasses, whiskey and brandy barrels and huge bunches of keys. Seating comes in the form of a raised banquette with unusual built in surfaces for your drinks, each about the size of a large dinner plate. As you move to the rear of the room there are more conventional banquettes and tables with a fireplace as a centrepiece. Old pictures, photos, salvers and plates are hung on the walls and ceiling and some crossed rifles are mounted above the doorway which leads you past a snug with some more banquettes, out to the covered courtyard. This cobblestone area has lots of pew seating and a keg only bar at the rear. There are a few cafe style tables and chairs outside the front of the pub as well. The beer selection was exactly the same as Steve C found back in December (London Pride, Bombardier, Harvey’s Best and Caledonian Flying Scotsman). The Flying Scotsman was priced at a whopping £3.90 a pint and thankfully it was in good shape as every last drop had to be savoured for that amount. There are one or two pubs in the Lanes area that I would probably pick ahead of this place, but it is still well worth a look for the smart interior and should be included on any crawl around this part of town.

It was a bit of a squeeze getting into the Cricketers on Tuesday evening last week as the bar is right up against the entrance and there was a bit of a queue. It was even harder to catch a glimpse of the four hand pumps that are around to the right in a small local’s area of the pub. I did manage to jemmy myself through the crowd and noted that Harveys Best, London Pride, Bombardier and Caledonian’s Flying Scotsman were all available alongside some standard draught products. I went for the Pride which was served by a busy, but polite barmaid. The pub swings around to the left to reveal a couple of seating areas at the rear and an extension to the right that has another bar which was closed during my visit. The upstairs Greene Room which is available for hire was also closed. Food is served daily until 21:00 and roasts are available on Sundays. I spotted an advertisement for the weekly acoustic night that is held every Tuesday from 20:00 that advises interested parties to book a table in advance. Maybe this was why the pub was so busy during my visit. This is a decent pub in a popular part of Brighton so it benefits from lots of passing trade, and rightly so. I’d have no problem returning for a pint or two.

Close to the seafront on the edge of The Lanes is The Cricketers, a pub which externally welcomes us as a “Famous 16th Century Inn” and the “Oldest public house in Brighton”, although once inside the pub, we see that the pub menu is less confident in this regard, merely describing the pub as one of the oldest pubs in Brighton. A small curved bar servery in front of us has a fine bar back with coloured glass panels advertising Whiskies, Brandies etc. Several adjoining areas at the back have dark red banquette seating, burgundy coloured patterned wallpaper, old period photos and prints and a rather plush, opulent Victorian feel. In the front part, there’s a collection of pots and pans suspended from the ceiling. A door leads out to a covered drinking area in what was presumably the original coaching yard. At the fare end here, a small bar counter, which appears to be only in use during peak periods, is in a small room with a few token cricketing prints of old players. Upstairs, not open during my visit, is The Greene Room, named after Graham Greene ( who mentions the pub in his book – Brighton Rock ). Apparently, here, there’s also some Jack the Ripper memorabilia. It is stated that he frequented the premises and planned his murders here. Beers on were Harveys Best, Doombar, Pride and Franklins Amber Ale ( a 4% beer at a cheapish £ 2.95p ) . We’re told that this beer is brewed exclusively for The Golden Lion Group, a small group of locally based pubs and bars, of which The Cricketers forms part. This pub is worth seeking out.