The Hampden Arms, Newhaven

A proper local this, with darts and drinkers on a Friday afternoon, just how things should be. Harvey's Sussex Best and Long Man Blonde are as popular as the lager. The seating is simple - stools at the bar, and a number of tables around the room. Good to see these places still thriving in these difficult times.

Official site of The Hampden Arms - hampdenarms.com

Official site of The Hampden Arms - hampdenarms.com

Although now swallowed up in the housing estates on the north-eastern edge of Newhaven, perhaps once in a separate village? Anyway, the building certainly looks older than most of the surrounding houses. Partly opened-out to leave a L-shaped layout with the main bar at the front and left-hand side and games area behind the bar. A pair of local cask ales on the bank of three handpumps: Harvey's (£4.00) and Long Blonde from Long Man.

The Hampden Arms is a bit of a trek of the main drag so is mainly used by residents of the local area. A couple of picnic benches flank the entrance where opening times of midday until 23:00 (23:30 Fri/Sat) are given. The L shaped interior consists of seating, a large plasma screen and a dartboard to the right and more seating, another dartboard and the local Sussex Toad-in-the-Hole game to the left. At the rear is a room with a pool table. The food is priced under £10 and is available at certain times, but not during my visit on Wednesday night last week when the monthly quiz was in progress. Whilst at the bar I noted that live music is hosted every Friday evening. An advertised beer garden can be found at the rear, but I did not investigate on this occasion due to my late visit. The usual suspect keg products are available and I counted three hand pumps. One was unused so the cask ale options were Harvey’s Best and Mordie Brewery’s Northumberland Blonde. I found the service to be friendly and the locals all seemed harmless enough. This pub’s location dictates that I will not be revisiting anytime soon, but if I do find myself in the area I will make the effort to pop in for a pint.