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Detail Pages
The Lord Nelson Inn, Brighton
Brighton
BN1 4ED
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
paulof horsham left this review about The Lord Nelson Inn
This is a comfortable flagship Harvey's house on the fringes of the North Laine area. The pub is little changed from previous reviews. You'll find 5 or so from the brewery's range on the pumps including, on my visit, Old reaching the end of its season and the topical Carolean (£5.30 the pint).
The Lord Nelson remains a reliable option close to the station (though on a steep gradient for those chasing a train) if you prefer something traditional over some of the nearby pubs.
On 26th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Lord Nelson Inn
A splendid pub just down from the station, with pretty well the full range of Harvey's beers on offer including the Mild. It has benefitted from being extended into the shop next door, which adds a couple of tabled dining-type areas to the original two rooms by the bar, which retain the excellent unspoilt locals' pub feel. Recommended as the first (or last) port of call from the station.
On 13th November 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Lord Nelson
Update 07th June 2014
Six months on from my last visit it's been deleted from the current GBG due to change of manager.
The scaffolding has gone from outside and I didn't think the interior had changed at all. I only had time for a very swift pint of Armada (£3.60) which was in good condition.
Visit 14th December 2013
Back in the days of doing cycle trips that involved stopping at what seemed like every pub between Turners Hill and Brighton or chasing around the Harvey's and King & Barnes tied estates, this place and the Gales Basketmakers were always "must visit" pubs when ending up in Brighton.
On my Saturday evening visit it had scaffolding on the outside so it presumably was getting a facelift. The interior was much the same as I remembered it apart from the Gents which had been cleaned up. I hope that Harvey's don't do any more than clean it up a bit and a new carpet or flooring in the "saloon" bar.
There was room to sit down right next to a large poster advertising the film Quadrophenia.
There was a good range of Harvey's beers on including the mild. I went for the Old Ale (£3.60) and the Christmas Ale (£5.30). The Christmas Ale was not entirely clear but went down well.
On 8th June 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Lord Nelson
Interior as described by Pub SignMan below. An extensive selection of Harvey's beers. A bit rough round the edges but in a good way.
On 20th November 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Lord Nelson
Have to say I do like this unspoilt back street local close to Brighton railway station especially if I can get a seat in the comfy front saloon bar section, which I did on my latest visit.
The pub has been well described by previous reviewers so not much to add except to concur that The Lord Nelson is one of a number of Harvey’s pubs in Brighton but probably has the best selection of Harvey’s beers on and you can quite reliably find one of their milds as I did last week when the Harveys Dark Mild was on.
On 25th June 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Lord Nelson
Another Harvey’s pub in Brighton, although this one is probably the most popular given its close proximity to the train station. The pub is divided into two rooms – the main bar on the right which extends quite a long way back and a smaller room to the left. The main bar is carpeted and offers a mix of banquette and bench seating. There is a lot of interesting stuff on the walls including cigarette card collections and old black and white photos of Brighton and Hove Albion players. The front windows retain some pleasant etched glass but some panes have unfortunately been replaced. The room extends to a smaller area towards the rear before reaching a conservatory style space at the back of the pub. The left hand room has more of a traditional feel to it with wooden flooring, standard tables and chairs, a small fireplace and framed advertisements from yesteryear adorning the walls. A couple of TV screens were on showing the football to a small but keen audience.
Five Harvey’s ales made up the beer selection – Best, Mild, Olympia, Armada and Hadlow Bitter. I tried the Olympia which was well kept although not my favourite Harvey’s beer. The staff were very pleasant and quickly made me feel welcome.
This is a nice pub that is a little out of sync with the rest of Brighton’s pub scene, but in a good way. I like the traditional feel of the interior and that it feels like a local’s boozer when in fact it probably gets plenty of transient custom. One of several good pubs around the station/North Laine area and worth inclusion on any Brighton pub crawl.
On 30th July 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Lord Nelson
Nice to see a pub offering more than one from the Harveys range. In fact, you get a choice of half-a-dozen or so in this excellent tied house. Slightly scruffy, but with great staff, we enjoyed our recent visit, with absolutely no complaint about any of the ales sampled.
Food was important to us at the late hour we entered, so we were delighted to find that a local pizza house has a delivery arrangement outside of the advertised kitchen hours.
Handily placed not only for the station but also for the North Laine area and it's trendy shops and top-quality pubs. Well worth a visit when in the area.
On 17th May 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Lord Nelson
Well-known Brighton pub with an attractive exterior, the blue tiling and hanging baskets making it look welcoming. The interior is quite rambling, with the front room split into public and lounge bar. The lounge bar has a conservatory area leading off it and beyond that lies a garden area. The inside feels quite shabby and could do with a spruce-up. The music and theatre posters that decorate the walls make for a pleasant diversion. Eight handpumps serve the full range of Harveys ales alongside a cider and the odd guest. Prices are a little higher than one might expect from a Harveys tied outlet. I’ve never felt overly enamoured with the place and this was exacerbated on my latest visit when there was trouble with a particularly obnoxious/intimidating football fan who should have been asked to leave but instead got worse and worse and drove punters away. Whilst this horror show was unfolding the staff and (most despicably) management sat there like startled rabbits caught in the headlights. Very poor.
Personally I don’t really rate the place beyond a quick snifter of a rarer Harveys brew before heading to the station. The nearby Evening Star and Basketmakers Arms are much better bets in my opinion.
On 31st July 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5089 recommendations about 5072 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Lord Nelson
Occupying a position close to the underpass outside Brighton Station is The Lord Nelson Inn, a small traditional Harveys pub.
A semi circular bar counter serves 2 adjoining bars with the old public / saloon bar distinction still intact. The saloon bar on the right hand side has been extended to the rear to a much larger seating area – Nelsons Room – which in turn leads to a smallish garden.
The walls are decorated with old theatrical prints and posters and some Brighton F C memorabilia – including a small montage of the last ever game at the Goldstone Ground in April 1997, when they beat Doncaster 1-0 and went on to manage to avoid dropping out of the Football League into the Conference. Coincidentally, on my early Saturday evening visit, a good of well behaved, good humoured Brighton fans were present, having just returned from the first ever game at their new Amex Stadium.
The pub offers a good range of Harveys beers, including several beers that I can’t recollect seeing before – Dark Mild and Thomas Paine Bitter amongst them, the latter being a seasonal, strong ale with an ABV of 5.5%. The Dark Mild is a tasty delicious mild, well worth sampling, but perhaps slightly pricey at £ 3.10p for a beer with an ABV of only 3%. The pub has been a CAMRA Good Beer Guide Regular for a number of years now.
This is another pub that you should try and do when in Brighton
On 21st July 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
I L left this review about The Lord Nelson
A great multi level multi roomed traditional pub serving superb Harveys ales. this pub has been a long time favourite and is handy for Brighton station.
On 24th February 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 287 recommendations about 284 pubs]