Halfway House, Uckfield

Facebook page of Halfway House - www.facebook.com

Official site of Halfway House - www.halfwayhouseisfield.co.uk

Located on the A26, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is the Halfway House which is a Harvey’s pub that was empty apart from a party of six or so who were having Christmas dinner during a recent early afternoon midweek visit. The interior is T-shaped with seating up the right and also down the left past the L-shaped bar counter. A premium keg range was available and the two pairs of hand pumps were both badged with Best and Old Ale. The isolated location means that this is a food led pub, the burger is priced at £16.50. I found a seat in the seating to the left of the bar counter by patio doors that open up to picnic tables with views over the adjoining fields. I also spotted a children’s play area and some seating on a patio area. Large vehicles passing on the road out front can be heard from inside, even with some low background music being piped in courtesy of Heart FM, so I imagine that traffic is quite audible out the back. It certainly is when waiting at the bus stop which is found five yards from the front entrance. It's worth popping in here if passing, if only to have a look at the old photos of Harvey’s pubs that adorn the walls. That said, now I’ve been I wouldn’t get off the bus again to visit just for a pint.

Official site of Halfway House - www.halfwayhouseisfield.co.uk

Facebook page of Halfway House - www.facebook.com

Main road pub, much extended and opened out and generally furnished in a sort of 'farmhouse kitchen' style. Much of the space is in a large open room to the rear, but it does however retain a few nooks and corners in the older front part, including a couple of compartment areas which are good for small groups. As described below, mainly aimed at food trade, with Harvey's Best the only real ale on offer, but seemed in good condition.

This is an old pub on the A26 between Lewes and Uckfield. It must surely have once been a coaching inn but any signs of that no longer exist. Although listed as Isfield it is actually in Rose Hill, nothing more than a main road hamlet. It is a Harvey;s tied house but I don't believe has always been. Back in the early 1980s you could find a beer mat with all the Harvey's pubs listed on one side and all the Beard's pubs (they all sold Harvey's) on the other. I know for a fact that this one wasn't on it as I had never visited it before. Another mystery is the name. From before the motor car pubs with this name are always roughly half way between two points but in this case what are they? I would have thought Brighton and Tunbridge Wells are too far apart so assuming it's Lewes then Uckfield is only a few miles away. Perhaps Maresfield was a much more important place in the coaching era. To be honest I find the above speculation more interesting than the pub itself. Inevitably it's very food orientated and has a huge garden with kiddies playground stuff. Inside the room is L shaped with a mix of tiled floors and carpets. It was quiet on my Saturday afternoon visit (around 14:00). The only beer I could see was Harvey's Best (£3.60) which was in good enough condition. The village of Isfield is a fair walk away and Rose Hill is such a tiny place I'm guessing they must rely heavily on passing food trade so my blinkered opinion of it as a boozer is probably of little worth. There's nothing wrong with it and the Harvey's Best was in good condition. I can't say I would return as I'm unlikely to pass this way again but you never know!