Old Punch Bowl, Crawley

The Old Punch Bowl is a 15th century timber framed pub that looks very out of place in the middle of the shithole that is Crawley Town. During a recent Friday evening visit the large L-shaped bar was supporting a standard keg range alongside Peroni, San Miguel and Amstel. I counted three handpumps, all with Greene King offerings. However, the Old Golden Hen was off leaving Abbot Ale and IPA as the cask options. Whilst waiting at the bar I had a nose through the pub co food menu, £7.79 for a burger seemed reasonable for the area. There are various seating areas located throughout including high tables and snugs. The seating areas with inglenooks to the left and right of the entrance seemed to be the most popular as the pub filled up ready for the disco which finished at 2am. I believe this is also the case on Saturdays. To the left of the pub is a patio beer garden that is probably a decent place to sit on a sunny afternoon whilst trying to forget that one is in the compost heap of Sussex.

This early 15th Century timber framed farmhouse now stands on the egde of the concrete jungle that much of Crawley Town Centre has become. In the past it has served as a tearoom and a Bank but was converted to a pub in 1994. Although it shows much old world charm from the outside, much of the extended interior is modern aside from the 2 smaller rooms either side of the main entrance which still retain a few old beams, pillars, open fires and a fair degree of rustic charm, even if they have been sofa’d up a bit to meet the demands of modern comfort. The main bar is in the extended rear which is essentially a modern conservatory, quite open and spacious but quite at odds with original section. A large built in curved leather seat in front of the bar is the centre of attention but the amount of open floor space suggests that they cater for some hefty crowds at peak hours although it was fairly quietb during my Saturday lunchtime visit. As a Greene King pub you can’t expect any great surprises on the ale front with Abbot and IPA available and a Speckled Hen clip reversed for my visit. £3 for the Abbot seemed reasonably priced and the quality was fine (they have Cask Marquee accreditation for what it is worth in some pubs). Food was good value with several courses priced between £4.50 to £8 and although I didn’t eat, there were a few takers around the pub so I’ll assume it is a decent place fior a spot of lunch. There is a large patio outside with plenty of cover when the weather allows. It’s not the best place in town but it does come over as better than several of the other options and for that alone is worth popping in for a pint or 2 when it’s not busy but on the whole, not really a place I would choose for an extended period.