The Horse Guards Inn, Petworth

While pretty obviously mostly given over to fine dining, The Horse Guards still functions well as a pub with continual business at the bar during my late afternoon visit. I found 2 handpumps drawing Only With Love "Yacht Rock" (£5 and in excellent condition) and Firebird "Heritage". The keg taps are well chosen, featuring Abyss & Little Monster craft IPAs as well as Bedlam Pilsener. Worth a visit.

A whitewashed rambling pub set high above the village street adjacent to the iconic A272 and Petworth Park. Approached up a flight of steps, a bar and servery with rooms laid up for dining leading off. A historic building, once a row of cottages: the individual rooms are on vaying levels, though I think disabled access could be achieved by way of the attractive courtyard and garden at the back. Primarily a dining pub, service on our mid week visit in June was charming, if somewhat chaotic: meals ambitious and rather on the small side. What I found particularily irksome was the criminal price of the fairly unambitious beer offering: a lacklustre Hophead and an admittedly unimpeacheable Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter both at an eyewatering £4.40 per pint. Since our rather disappointing evening, I learned from a fellow scribe on this site that the Horse Guards was originally a King and Barnes pub:if only I'd had the inclination to visit here in 1976, rather than 2016.

Official site of the Horse Guards Inn at Tillington, contains menu and wine list - www.thehorseguardsinn.co.uk

Official site of the Horse Guards Inn at Tillington, contains menu and wine list - www.thehorseguardsinn.co.uk