The Black Horse, Petworth

Facebook page of The Black Horse - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Black Horse - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Black Horse - www.theblackhorseatbyworth.com

Official site of The Black Horse - www.theblackhorseatbyworth.com

Admirably described by my fellow scribes,we found this a very pleasant and largely unspoilt house in an area beset with over- egged dining pubs.We didn't venture into the restaurant areas, but sat in the front bar, a room of which I could very easily become fond.Four cask beers on the pumps,together with a cornish cloudy cider. I particularily enjoyed my pint of Flowerpots Bitter,straitforward and guileless.Dog friendly.

A three storey Georgian looking building in a small village outside Petworth, the front room serves as the bar, bare boarded with roughcast white walls and dark ceiling beams, a fireplace is opposite the servery. Stacks of old framed stuff fill the walls, seating is traditional as you would expect in a pub like this. Through an opening is an area which is clearly a restaurant with tables set, too early for diners on our Saturday late afternoon stop off. A metal stair leads up to a large open space with a vaulted historic beamed ceiling, open views of the countryside and a dartboard in a case which judging by the holes in the surrounding wall is not just for the professional chuckers. A small terrace to the front has a bit of seating and there is a needed car park to the side as the lane is narrow but the best bit on a good sunny day is the rear terraced garden which is absolutely enormous and has the most splendid views over the South Downs. Beers were London Pride, Flowerpots Bitter, Triple fff Moondance, Hog's Back HBB plus Cornish Orchard's cider. No issues with beer quality on this visit, I enjoyed my pint of Flowerpots. You probably need to be ok with dogs if you visit, there were several around, all of the more affable breeds, enjoying the weather and checking people over. I thought it was a very nice pub, just a hint of "The Slaughtered Lamb" in the "they're not from these parts" style but things like that wash over me provided I get a decent pint and equal service which I did.

A large Georgian building, once part of the former tannery next door. The interior has an uneven wooden floor, wooden fittings, big open log fire and a number of original features. Plenty of nooks and crannies to drink in but as it was a lovely day I took in the rear garden which is possibly the biggest one I’ve sampled. It’s huge, with a terrace leading down to a stream and the nearby Virgin Mary Spring, surrounded by mature weeping willows and the like. Beers on the bar were London Pride, Flowerpots Bitter, Dark Star Hophead and (if I recall correctly) a beer from Langhams. Quality was a little variable and there was no real cider which I found surprising. Food is offered and there is apparently an upstairs dining room which holds an impressive elevated view of the beer garden. Pub appeared to be dog-friendly. Well-worth sampling and if the beer had been just a wee bit better I’d have given it a 9.

Cracking old-fashioned pub just off the beaten track near Petworth. Four real ales in good condition, bare-boarded bar floor, huge open fire and lovely restaurant. Best place to be on a cold winters day.