The Buckingham Arms, Shoreham-By-Sea

My 2nd visit ystdy, my 2nd failure to record the beers on offer, sorry. 10handpumps, 5 fairly mainstream regulars, 5 more interesting changing guests. Two of our party chose a beer that came up looking good but tasting awful, it was changed without question & the pumpclip immediately reversed. Five minutes later the guv sent over another two halves of our chosen replacement by way of apology! Outstanding customer relations! Perhaps the barstools in front of the bank of handpumps should be moved to enable easier viewing of the selection. 18 November 2007 Eleven handpumps present themselves as you enter; too much choice to list all here, but the Hepworths Harvest and Grand Union Stout were very good. L-shaped bar leads round to large plasma at far end, then out to a beer garden. Carpeted throughout, tables and seating around outer walls which are decorated with photos, prints, mirrors & awards. Good stuff.

The Buckingham Arms, or Buck as it is locally known, has a decked seating outside the front and is across the road from the westbound platform of Shoreham-by-Sea railway station. An A board by the entrance advertises pub food from midday until 14:00 six days a week. I didn’t manage to glean what day food isn’t available. The interior is L shaped and set up against the far rear wall underneath a large plasma screen around the right hand side of the bar was a live band. There is a dartboard by the entrance, but there was some seating on the non-existent oche. I’m not sure why as this pub is big enough to accommodate a functioning board. The draught consists of Fosters, Stella, Carlsberg and Stowford Press, but the draw of this pub is the eleven hand pumps. One of these was unused leaving ten cask options which were Abbot, Otter Bitter, Hopback’s Summer Lightening, Hammerpot brewery’s Harvest Ale, Ringwood Best, Shugborough Brewery’s Butler’s Revenge and Old Rosie cider alongside Harvey’s Best, Sussex Dark Mild and Old Ale. This place has a decent selection of beers and is a better option than the Carbtree on the other side of the level crossing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit.

The first thing you see on entering this pub is the line of eleven handpumps facing you on the bar ahead. Ten were in use, with one unclipped. GK Abbot and St Edmund's Ale, Tim Taylor's Landlord, Harvey's Sussex and Dark Mild, Hop Back Summer Lightning, Doom Bar, Hog's Back TEA, Springhead Bare Bones(£3.25)and Leydon Brewery Crowning Glory(6.8%). A broad choice but if I were to have a criticism it would be that many of those are fairly mainstream and a couple of local micros would not go amiss. The pub itself is fairly ordinary, carpeted, the room winds around to the right of the bar to an area with a TV (switched off yesterday PM). Cream walls with the lower area red, upholstered banquettes and stools but a couple of high tables also, various pictures, a collection of cigarette cards, a few brass things around. A fireplace on an end wall has a large mirror over. Outdoor decking to the front facing the road/level crossing. There are a number of bar stools but I noted they were lined up to the side so not obscuring the pump clips, I'd like to think this was deliberate. Over the bar is the exclamation "When a man is happy he does not hear the clock strike". I'm sure that could be true if you worked your way along the pumps here!

Been visiting this pub for a number of years and dont recall having a bad pint here. ABout 10 ales on but the green King Mild that used to be a regular no longer appears to served, certainly on our more recent visits. Very handy for the station but allow a bit longer if you are heading towards Brighton as once the crossing barriers are down its a bit of a walk via the main station entrance and the subway to the Brighton bound platform.