Selden Arms, Worthing

The pub is moving to new ownership and is being refurbished. Until this happens it is temporarily closed. I will post more details when I know them

Official site of Selden Arms - www.seldenarms.co.uk

Official site of Selden Arms - www.seldenarms.co.uk

A right proper boozer this one, It had a bit of a timeslip feel and appeared to be set somewhere in the 1970's but the beer choice was bang up to date with offerings from Burning Sky, Vibrant Forest,Pamona Island and Salopian along with a nod to tradition with some Harveys and Palmers. Definitely a locals pub but very welcoming all the same. Top Notch.

A mainstay of Worthing’s beer scene for many years now, the Selden Arms is a classic free house on the fringes of the town centre, next to Worthing Hospital. It’s a simple, single room bar with a lopsided U-shaped layout which, judging by the two front doors, was previously a two bar set-up. The left hand side of the pub has padded banquettes and standard chairs under a high shelf crammed with old beer bottles. To the rear is a darts area with a couple of high tables and stools to one side and the board to the other. The pub seems to specialise in Belgian beer, so it’s no great surprise to find large collection of old Belgian beer bottles and crates dotted around the place as well as some canvases covered with beer bottle labels and framed collections of bottle caps lining the walls. There are also a few Belgian art prints on show, which give the place a nice retro, continental feel. The tongue and groove servery runs opposite the mid part of the front wall, where there is enough room to squeeze in a couple of small tables and stools before you reach the right hand side of the pub, which looked like a cosier spot, although it had been completely taken over by a bunch of folk musicians, making it tricky to have a proper look around. One feature that I couldn’t fail to notice though was the impressive collection of pump clips that covered the ceiling throughout the whole pub. This was proof, should it be needed, of the pub’s commitment to real ale and the six hand pumps were offering a choice of Palmers 200, Great Heck Treasure IPA, Fallen Acorn IPA, Dorking Pilcrow Pale, Kissingate Powder Blue and Vibrant Forest Summerlands. The landlord seemed like a very friendly chap and he served me a very nice pint of the Treasure IPA which was a nice way to round out a great crawl around Worthing. There was a menu on my table running to countless pages, which listed all of the bottled Belgian beers available along with some helpful bits explaining the various styles and techniques common in Belgian brewing. There was a good crowd in and a lively atmosphere resulted, even though the musicians had hung up their instruments by the time I arrived. This is a quality pub that will appeal to anyone looking for some interesting, well kept ales. The pub is very much in the traditional mould, offering a nice counterpoint to the town’s burgeoning micropub scene. I’m not sure why it took me so long to check this place out, as it is clearly up there with the best Worthing has to offer.