Brewery Shades, Crawley

Bit of an odd one this, although maybe Saturday night is not typical: loud music seemingly intended to appeal to a younger generation, but the majority of the clientele didn't fit that age group. As to the pub itself, there's plenty of seating in various areas and service is friendly and efficient. 4 ales, 2 (Hophead & Revelation) from Dark Star, featured when we visited, as well as a standard set of lagers. If you're in Crawley for beer, it's worth a look-in.

This pleasant High Street pub was a gaol house back in the 14 century and it thankfully retains a traditional feel befitting of such an historic building. The interior is fairly muddled, being split into various areas across a number of levels which require a bit of exploration. The bar is located opposite the front door in a flagstone floor area with minimal seating, lots of exposed brickwork, a few internal stained glass panes and a wide fireplace on the right hand wall. For some reason there was a large model cruise ship above the fireplace and a number of inflatable seagulls hanging from the ceiling. Ivy and ferns wrap themselves around the beams above the servery and the area has a nice cosy feel to it, which makes the paucity of seating a bit of a shame. Past the bar, three steps lead down to a lower seating area which doubles as the dining room. The floorboards are exposed here and there is a nice mix of standard chairs, pews and sofas to choose from. There is another nice fireplace down here and the rear part of the room has some old looking beams and supports. I didn’t spot any TV screens in the pub but there was a music soundtrack playing fairly loud on my Tuesday evening visit. Some of the beams have snippets relating to the pub’s two ghosts painted on them, which is a bit of a shame, even if the paint is fading now. There was a decent ale selection at the bar, as I was able to choose from Greene King Abbot Ale, Dark Star Hophead and Revelation, Exmoor Wild Cat and Severn Vale Severn Sins. A Black Rat cider was available from a barrel propped up on the bar back and I noticed a few bottled ales in the fridge. My pint of Wild Cat was in good condition although not as enjoyable as I’d hoped. This place has a nice traditional feel and a relaxed ambiance that I really enjoyed. It also seems to be one of a limited number of pubs in town where you might expect to find a decent ale selection, so I’d say it was worth including on any visit to Crawley.

A sign as you enter advisies that this was previously a gaol house where prisoners were held before being tried at the George Hotel opposite and hung on the High Street Gallows (presumably the guilty ones only). Now owned by Brewers Fayre, these days it is a little more accommodating to visitors. The interior is quite rambling with plenty of intimate sections, beams, pillars, brick fireplaces and bare floors although the diners occupied the front areas that accounted for 2/3 of the floor space with the drinkers housed in the smaller main bar area to the rear although I should mention that my visit was a Saturday lunchtime so it may be a different story in the evenings. The 4 ales were split between Greene King and Dark Star, Abbott & Speckled Hen from the former, Hophead and Critical Mass from the latter. The barmaid displayed a good knowledge of the ales and the locals also seemed chatty and friendly as I tried to peer through to see what was available. This wasn’t initially part of my intended crawl of town but but I was glad I did pop in and it does have an interesting history although, like most pubs in town, you wouldn’t probably choose it for a lengthy session.