The Swan, Crawley

After getting a good soaking walking from the station to find this pub, I was disappointed to be told that it no longer serves any cask ale. I chose a bottled beer from Sharp's (a red IPA with a nautical name I can't remember) which was okay and drank it quickly while looking at all the beer mats adorning the walls and ceilings representing cask ales that they have served in the past. Friendly barmaid otherwise the rating would have been lower.

This former Whitbread pub is a fairly basic two bar local. I entered the public bar which had bare floorboards a dart board and a pool table. It was quiet on my Thursday lunchtime visit. I noticed the window near where I was sitting haf Smoke Room etched on it. Judging from the reviews below and other sources I must have missed some hand pumps here as I only saw three in the public bar with one unused plus the local Kissingate Sussex & Coffee Porter. I should have had a closer look round but the Coffee Porter (£3.55) was beckoning, it was in excellent condition. My only reservation here was the open mic and live music nights that were advertised, the sort of events that make me avoid a pub. This was my fourth pub visited in Crawley and I have to say that they were all better than I expected. This one is GBG 2016 listed.

The Swan is a friendly two room pub, just a short walk to the west of Crawley town centre. The pub retains something of a traditional feel, with two distinctly different drinking areas served by the bar that separates the two rooms. The public bar is the bigger of the two and has bare floorboards, half paneled walls and etched windows bearing the pub’s name. The seating options are fairly basic, with a couple of alcoves opposite the servery housing a mix of benches and standard chairs around a few tables. One alcove has a dartboard on the back wall and another one had a TV screen showing Champions League football whilst other TV screens in the room were showing the evening news. The walls and ceilings have been decorated with all sorts of music (mainly rock and metal) and movie posters, as well as some t-shirts and photo collages, but despite all of this and the fairly loud rock music that was playing, I didn’t get the feeling that this was a niche pub for rockers or bikers or the like. At the rear of the room is a games area with a pool table and various sporting images on the walls. The servery has also been well decorated, with just about every inch covered in an impressive array of pump clips, which extends into the smaller saloon bar. This is a carpeted room with a brick fireplace at one end and a more comfortable selection of seating options. Some old photos of the pub hang from the walls as do a healthy number of CAMRA certificates including North Sussex CAMRA Pub of the Year 2012. The hand pumps are all in the main bar, so if ordering from the lounge, you will need to consult the blackboard which lists the ale options. There was a nice mix of popular ales (Fuller’s London Pride, Young’s Special, Greene King Abbot Ale) and more adventurous alternatives (Dark Star Hophead and Belgian IPA, Arbor Hoppy Ever After). I gave the Belgian IPA a try (£3.40 for a 7.2% beer) and thought it was in excellent condition. I was loath to leave this place after just the one pint, but unfortunately the last train was calling, so I had to make a dash for the station. I enjoyed my visit very much and will ensure that I make time to spend a little longer here the next time I’m in town.

In a town that isn’t exactly blessed with quality pubs, the Swan is certainly worth making the effort to seek out. A short walk from the town centre, this traditional, twin bar, local’s pub will be of interest to ale fans as it probably offers the most diverse selection in the area with 6 ales including several micro’s (many local) that included Gadds Little Cracker (3.05), Leatherbritches Scary Hairy (£3.05) and Kissingate Moon (£3) alongside the more regular London Pride (£2.85) and Dark Star Hophead (a bargain £2.50). One pump was unclipped on my visit. The décor throughout the pub is an interesting mix with the main containing a large collection of classic heavy rock posters and album covers behind a protective plastic screen and several bikers t-shirts hanging down from the ceiling. In the smaller side bar is a huge collection of pump clips, an aquarium and a bell on the bar counter that only the bravest of locals dared to push without incurring the tongue in cheek growls from the barmaid. There is a dart board in the main bar and several TV’s + Big Screen shoing Sky football. A separate room at the rear houses a pool table and there were posters for occasional live music. The customer base was surprisingly varied and I didn’t get the impression that the displays echoed the general characters who use the pub although there was a slightly downmarket feel to the place with a few punters being a bit half cut 6.30pm. Were it not for the ales the pub maybe wouldn’t stand out as much but I enjoyed my brief visit and was made to feel welcome. As a result it was the only pub in town I stayed for more than a single pint and I would certainly include it on any future visits.