The Lord Nelson Inn, Brighton

Have to say I do like this unspoilt back street local close to Brighton railway station especially if I can get a seat in the comfy front saloon bar section, which I did on my latest visit. The pub has been well described by previous reviewers so not much to add except to concur that The Lord Nelson is one of a number of Harvey’s pubs in Brighton but probably has the best selection of Harvey’s beers on and you can quite reliably find one of their milds as I did last week when the Harveys Dark Mild was on.

Another Harvey’s pub in Brighton, although this one is probably the most popular given its close proximity to the train station. The pub is divided into two rooms – the main bar on the right which extends quite a long way back and a smaller room to the left. The main bar is carpeted and offers a mix of banquette and bench seating. There is a lot of interesting stuff on the walls including cigarette card collections and old black and white photos of Brighton and Hove Albion players. The front windows retain some pleasant etched glass but some panes have unfortunately been replaced. The room extends to a smaller area towards the rear before reaching a conservatory style space at the back of the pub. The left hand room has more of a traditional feel to it with wooden flooring, standard tables and chairs, a small fireplace and framed advertisements from yesteryear adorning the walls. A couple of TV screens were on showing the football to a small but keen audience. Five Harvey’s ales made up the beer selection – Best, Mild, Olympia, Armada and Hadlow Bitter. I tried the Olympia which was well kept although not my favourite Harvey’s beer. The staff were very pleasant and quickly made me feel welcome. This is a nice pub that is a little out of sync with the rest of Brighton’s pub scene, but in a good way. I like the traditional feel of the interior and that it feels like a local’s boozer when in fact it probably gets plenty of transient custom. One of several good pubs around the station/North Laine area and worth inclusion on any Brighton pub crawl.

Well-known Brighton pub with an attractive exterior, the blue tiling and hanging baskets making it look welcoming. The interior is quite rambling, with the front room split into public and lounge bar. The lounge bar has a conservatory area leading off it and beyond that lies a garden area. The inside feels quite shabby and could do with a spruce-up. The music and theatre posters that decorate the walls make for a pleasant diversion. Eight handpumps serve the full range of Harveys ales alongside a cider and the odd guest. Prices are a little higher than one might expect from a Harveys tied outlet. I’ve never felt overly enamoured with the place and this was exacerbated on my latest visit when there was trouble with a particularly obnoxious/intimidating football fan who should have been asked to leave but instead got worse and worse and drove punters away. Whilst this horror show was unfolding the staff and (most despicably) management sat there like startled rabbits caught in the headlights. Very poor. Personally I don’t really rate the place beyond a quick snifter of a rarer Harveys brew before heading to the station. The nearby Evening Star and Basketmakers Arms are much better bets in my opinion.

Nice to see a pub offering more than one from the Harveys range. In fact, you get a choice of half-a-dozen or so in this excellent tied house. Slightly scruffy, but with great staff, we enjoyed our recent visit, with absolutely no complaint about any of the ales sampled. Food was important to us at the late hour we entered, so we were delighted to find that a local pizza house has a delivery arrangement outside of the advertised kitchen hours. Handily placed not only for the station but also for the North Laine area and it's trendy shops and top-quality pubs. Well worth a visit when in the area.