The Buckingham Arms, Shoreham-By-Sea

The interior of this pub, shaped like an "L," exudes a sense of faded opulence. The floors are carpeted, yet there's an air of shabbiness, creating an intriguing atmosphere. Compared to the nearby Duke of Wellington, it's a much more inviting place to enjoy a pint. The patrons are down-to-earth, and apart from the diverse beer selection, the pub might seem like a typical town bar, complete with boisterous football matches and lively men sipping on lagers. The pub's garden, basking in sunlight, is a hidden gem worth exploring. However, a minor drawback is the presence of persistent regulars crowding the bar area. For beer enthusiasts, this pub is a must-visit destination on your journey.

Conveniently located next to the level crossing at Shoreham station, we arrived at this locals' pub at midday. It was reasonably busy for a Wednesday lunchtime. The interior curves around the bar and is a fairly comfortable space. There is a small garden to the rear. But it wasn't the weather for outdoor drinking. Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter is the regular beer. Guests were Harvey's Old Ale, Sharp's Doom Bar & Hopback Summer Lightning. Real cider is no longer served.

Official site of The Buckingham Arms - thebuckinghamarms.co.uk

Official site of The Buckingham Arms - thebuckinghamarms.co.uk

My 2nd visit ystdy, my 2nd failure to record the beers on offer, sorry. 10handpumps, 5 fairly mainstream regulars, 5 more interesting changing guests. Two of our party chose a beer that came up looking good but tasting awful, it was changed without question & the pumpclip immediately reversed. Five minutes later the guv sent over another two halves of our chosen replacement by way of apology! Outstanding customer relations! Perhaps the barstools in front of the bank of handpumps should be moved to enable easier viewing of the selection. 18 November 2007 Eleven handpumps present themselves as you enter; too much choice to list all here, but the Hepworths Harvest and Grand Union Stout were very good. L-shaped bar leads round to large plasma at far end, then out to a beer garden. Carpeted throughout, tables and seating around outer walls which are decorated with photos, prints, mirrors & awards. Good stuff.

The Buckingham Arms, or Buck as it is locally known, has a decked seating outside the front and is across the road from the westbound platform of Shoreham-by-Sea railway station. An A board by the entrance advertises pub food from midday until 14:00 six days a week. I didn’t manage to glean what day food isn’t available. The interior is L shaped and set up against the far rear wall underneath a large plasma screen around the right hand side of the bar was a live band. There is a dartboard by the entrance, but there was some seating on the non-existent oche. I’m not sure why as this pub is big enough to accommodate a functioning board. The draught consists of Fosters, Stella, Carlsberg and Stowford Press, but the draw of this pub is the eleven hand pumps. One of these was unused leaving ten cask options which were Abbot, Otter Bitter, Hopback’s Summer Lightening, Hammerpot brewery’s Harvest Ale, Ringwood Best, Shugborough Brewery’s Butler’s Revenge and Old Rosie cider alongside Harvey’s Best, Sussex Dark Mild and Old Ale. This place has a decent selection of beers and is a better option than the Carbtree on the other side of the level crossing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit.