Tally Ho, Lewes

Opened in 1938 in classic Mock Tudor style for the Landport estate on the northern edge of Lewes overlooking the Ouse Valley below. It was a Beards Brewery pub until 1980 and is now a Greene King establishment serving two real ales (usually GK IPA). It is very much a community estate pub with its own darts team and football team (motto: Win or Loose, we are on the Booze), pool table, juke box plus the inevitable Sky Sports TV. There are events and music nights. Opens lunch times and evenings. Originally two separate bars it is now one single room but still retains many of the original fixtures and fittings. Just around the corner in Meridian Road is a Meridian Marker Post.

The Tally Ho is tucked away in the streets of houses in the Wallands area of Lewes and I had a bit of trouble finding it as the signpost on the Offham Road sent me off down a footpath rather than the road going the correct way. I suppose that this isn’t a problem if driving and there is parking outside the front of the pub. This is a good sized L shaped pub with seating to the left of the entrance and two dartboards, a pool table, a projector screen and a jukebox to the right. There is a plasma screen in the central bar area and Sky Sports is shown. The TV was off during my visit last Thursday and there was a dart league match in progress on one of the boards. To the right of the pub is an enclosed outside area with a few tables that was being used by smokers. There is a limited range of standard draught available from the bar which also supports four hand pumps that were drawing Greene King IPA (x2) and Ale Fresco with the forth pump being unused. Pub grub is served and it seemed to be reasonably priced, although I didn’t spot anyone eating. Disco and karaoke was advertised for the upcoming Friday night, but I’m not sure if this is a regular thing. As a local pub this place is very good, but I’m not sure that it is worth the trip out of town for visitors to Lewes.