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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Rights of Man, Lewes
Lewes
BN7 1YE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Real Ale Ray left this review about Rights of Man
This pub looks quite small from the entrance, but does extend towards the rear, which was set out for mainly dining. The interior is traditional and I especially liked all the wood panelling and the Art Deco lamps around the bar area. The service at the bar was pleasant and efficient, slightly inflated beer prices even though Harveys Brewery is a stone's throw away.
On 16th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about Rights of Man
A Harvey's tied house but with some very interesting features.It's quite a narrow pub with dark wood panelling,two raised front sections,small seating booths and rather dark interior with the bar to the left.Along a corridor is a restaurant area ,worth inspecting the mural here of a court scene with some one pleading for their "rights".
Up some stairs there is a large roof garden,very popular in the good weather ,food is a major draw and the grub did look good as it paseed by us drinkers around the bar..
Three Harveys on,Sussex Best (NBSS 3),Old Ale and Sister.Worth inspecting but a more exciting ale range would have produced higher marks.
On 14th April 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Tris C left this review about Rights of Man
Opened in 2012, the pub’s name is not a reference to the WC2’s Seven Stars late cat, but a nod to Lewes resident Tom Paine, author of The Rights of Man, revolutionary thinker dubbed the Father of the American Revolution and Founding Father, quoted by Barrack Obama in his inaugural address; a statue of him can be found outside Lewes’ library, unveiled by Tony Benn.
With a spectacular roof terrace, the interior is old meets new (was former Lincolns Bar a shop conversion?) with some booth-style seating along with etched glass and wood panels, customers on our crawl were some American tourists unsurprisingly, then some less-than-welcome babies in two prams.
A Harvey’s cask selection, their Sisters, £2.60 a half a hitherto unheard-of cask and bland by Harvey’s standards.
Worth a visit as part of a crawl, but not really a place to spend too much time.
On 12th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about Rights of Man
This is a pleasant pub with bar counter on the left and booth seating on the right. It's upstairs to the toilets and to a raised garden area behind. The ceiling of the front part of the pub has legal documents - obviously not the Rights of Man - pasted onto it and there are Tom Paine pictures and a photo of the statue on top of the Old Bailey. Beers were all from Harvey's, and my half of Old Ale was very good (NBSS 4).
On 11th April 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
David Walton left this review about Rights of Man
Visited 04/10/24. First ticked off on 01/12/18 but oft visited since!
Six hand pumps, four operational dispensing Harvey's cask ales, which on this visit were Best, Old Ale, Armada Ale and their table beer Sisters. Keg offering was Pells Pale, Wharf IPA, Camden Stout, Brixton Reliance Pale Ale, Camden Hells, Stella, Stowford Press cider and Moretti.
Another bay fronted venue in the upper part of the High St. There are a couple of tables in the windows, the area in front of the window opposite the bar being slightly raised. The bar counter, a nice wooden affair, is on the left-hand side in front of the stairs and the three leather stools nicely sit in front thereof without impeding access to the bar. There are some tall round tables opposite the bar, separated from each other by wooden dividers with the upper part being filled in by some nice etched glass and the seating in each via a single tall stool and padded seats fixed into the screens, with the last "compartment" housing a more conventional seating arrangement. The downstairs is boarded apart from the raised area, which is carpeted. The lighting is very art deco. There is a dining room out the back with regular tables and chairs and there is also a roof terrace, but I have to admit I have always been happy residing in the venue on the ground floor and being in that vibe.
On 7th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
paulof horsham left this review about Rights of Man
Inside the Rights of Man, it's all dark wood, intended to look older than it would actually seem to be, and really not as much space as you might have expected - consequently, new arrivals were ready to pounce on my seat as I prepared to leave.
3 Harvey's to be found on the bar (with a clip for Old turned). I opted for an excellently funky pint of Sussex Best.
The service was fine and the food great. But! They did apply a service charge, even for just a sandwich, so it's marked down a point for that.
On 11th March 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 554 recommendations about 516 pubs]
Strongers . left this review about Rights of Man
Other than still being a small thin bar, the Rights of Man is unrecognisable compared to before Harveys took over back in 2012. The etched windows across the front and the clean wooden floors and panelled walls inside are much more inviting. To the left of the entrance are a couple of high tables on a rug and to the right is a small raised carpeted area with a high table in the window and small table behind. High backed booths run up the right-hand wall faced by the serving counter up the left opposite. Standard and premium keg were available alongside six hand pumps, five of which were in operation all drawing Harveys. The toilets are found upstairs, as is a large decked roof terrace that sits above the dining area found at the rear of the bar area. The service was polite and I got comfortable very quickly, so I’d pop back in if passing.
On 9th December 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Danny O'Revey left this review about Rights of Man
Interesting inside as there are small alcove seating areas, otherwise ordinary pub
On 31st August 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1542 recommendations about 1519 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Cask Fan left this review about Rights of Man
After 10 years it doesn't look new anymore and has settled in. Pleasantly quiet on a sunny Saturday lunchtime. Helpful staff, food better than your average pub grub, and a good selection of Harvey's in good condition.
On 2nd July 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 46 recommendations about 37 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Rights of Man
Mostly dark-wood panelled booths in the front and back rooms, but there are also a few alehouse-style tables by the front windows. This is supplemented by a little pavement seating out front and in the rear yard. As a Harvey's establishment, the four of six active handpumps were dispensing Sussex, Old Ale, Wharf IPA and the 5.5% Tom Paine (£4.80, usually a seasonal, but more of a regular here unsurprisingly, given the origins of the venue's name).
On 8th November 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]