The Plough, Lewes

A country pub, the Plough at Plumpton has a large car park at the front and overflow parking up the right towards the rear. At the rear is a covered patio and a grass covered beer garden with picnic tables and a children’s play area. There are two entrances, one to the left and one to the right, so I chose the left-hand side that opens into a parquet floored bar with green-blue doors and wainscotting with a mix of white paint and floral wallpaper above. Theis isn’t a huge area so there’s only two or three tables that are faced by an aircraft propellor clock that sits on the right-hand wall between door to the right-hand bar and the serving counter that supports three hand pumps, two of which were in use drawing Harvey’s Best and Easter Ale. There are also five keg fonts that were pouring Carling, Pravha, Birra Moretti, Inch’s Cider and Guinness. The parquet flooring continues into the L-shaped right-hand bar where seating runs across the front wall to a dartboard and then up the right wall to a bar billiards table. Muted Premier League Darts replay from the previous night was muted on the television while some lively background music played. The draught options on the bar mirror the other bar, and I noted that food is available with the burger coming in at £14, which is good for the area. In the left rear is a tile floored room with a rug and large table that looks upon lots of Spitfire and WW2 memorabilia, including a very long Spitfire print. From here there’s access to the covered patio out the back. I thought the service was friendly and I would return to try the food.

1956 pub built to replace an earlier one nearby that was demolished during construction of the Chailey landing ground during the preparations for D-day. With a symmetrical facade, the main (left hand) entrance leading to the dining room, with the bar (featuring a bar-billiards table) being off to the left, with the two parts being separated by a feature fireplace on each side. As a Harvey's house, I found the Old Ale (£5.25) as well as the mandatory Sussex Best being poured from the three handpumps on each counter, and the brewery's Pells Pale was also available from the keg taps.

Visited 15/11/24 Cask was three Harvey's quaffs, Best, Old Ale and Bonfire Boy. Keg was their own brew Pell's Pale, Carling, Moretti, Amstel, Inch's and Guinness. Large car park out the front. Also, some seating out the front albeit it was pretty dark on my visit and hard to make much out other than the lights coming through the pub windows! My entrance took me into what would probably have been the public bar. The right-hand end of the bar counter against the back wall served this part with locals deep in conversation at the bar on tall stools. Remainder of room had regular tables and chairs on a parquet flooring with an operational fire grate on the left wall. There was a bar billiards table and a dart board plus a TV showing the cricket with the volume off. A doorway takes you through to another room this time just with tables and the other end of the bar counter dispensing the same quaffs. The same fire grate similarly warms this room. There was another room beyond, but I couldn't explore as there was a private party ongoing during my visit and very jolly it was!

Official site of The Plough - www.theploughatplumpton.co.uk