The Fountain, Lewes

Official site of The Fountain - thefountainplumpton.com

Official site of The Fountain - thefountainplumpton.com

The Fountain Inn has minimal parking across the front where there’s patio seating encased in a Perspex topped fence to shield from the cars driving along the very adjacent road. A path up the left leads to the toilets that are found in an outhouse at the rear. Inside the pub, the small L-shaped wooden floored interior has a blue painted stool lined central serving counter that faces seating in the front windows. To the left are some red armchairs around a fireplace in an inglenook and there’s a somewhat hidden dartboard with a very narrow oche across the rear wall. Seating runs up the right-hand wall either side of a burner and there are lots of old clocks on the walls by the rear door that opens to a small beer garden where signs tell customers to watch out for falling acorns from the large oak tree overhead. There was some background music playing and the television was off. Harveys Best was available from the operational hand pump, three were unused, and a premium and mainstream craft keg range was available from the polite lady behind the bar. The ratio of lager badges to pump clips across the top of the bar suggests that there’s not an everchanging range of cask, but the Best was in good condition. Food is available, but this is a proper boozer the likes of which have become a dying breed in these parts.

Traditional village pub with a slightly unusual veranda-style single-storey extension along the facade, and a sheltered patio seating area in front of that. Once inside the left-hand side entrance, you enter a comfortable lounge area with the fireplace, the relatively compact bar in the centre (with three small tables in the bay window) and a larger dining area off to the left (with the beer garden beyond). With two of the four handpumps in use, I found the expected Harvey's (£5.20) and Burning Sky's Plateau being served.

Visited 15/11/24 Four hand pumps but only two functioning and dispensing Harvey's Best and Burning Sky Plateau. The keg offering was Carling, Moretti, Heineken AF, Guinness, Neck Oil, Cruz and Thatchers cider. There is some seating out the front. Inside a cosy venue with a fire on the left-hand wall and two appealing red leather wingback armchairs astride a small table on a red rug in front thereof. Some small square tables in the bay window in front of the bar counter, well served by some tall leather stools occupied by locals deep in conversation on my visit. The pub opens to the right-hand edge of the bar counter with some regular tables and chairs and a log burner against the right-hand wall. It is bare boarded throughout and has quiet low ceilings. Not surprisingly given the proximity to Plumpton racecourse there were a number of horse racing photos on the walls.

Facebook page of The Fountain - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Fountain - www.facebook.com