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The New Inn, Winchelsea

German Street
Winchelsea
TN36 4EN

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Steve of N21 left this review about The New Inn

Winchelsea is a town of some history and a very pleasant place to spend a few hours exploring. Fortunately, the town’s only remaining pub is a good one for a beer and especially for the food.
You enter and travel through two wooden floored dining areas one on each side, to get to the bar area. The décor of the two dining areas is white ceilings with some dark wooden beams, crème coloured walls with plenty of mirrors and framed pictures to give character and book collection wallpaper to the left hand wall to give this section the feeling of a library room. The small bar area is stone flagged with a fireplace, a piano and four tables to the far wall.
Then past the bar is a second room space, more like a public bar with TV screen and the short section of the L-Shaped bar which supports a bank of keg taps in this section.
From this room you go out into the small courtyard car park to find an enclosed walled garden with a large tree in the middle, giving plenty of shade to quite a few of the benches.
There is five ale pumps on the bar in total but only three were in operation and alongside the obligatory GK brew of OSH and the ubiquitous Harvey’s Sussex Best was a very passable Longman Blonde.
We ate here and went for two fish dishes from the specials board, and they were both superb.
You also can hope that you sit in one of the seats that Spike Milligan may have used in his frequent visits here and afterwards go and see him to pay your respects as he is buried in the churchyard opposite the pub. It does indeed say on his tombstone "I told you I was ill", but in Gaelic.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one for either a beer or a meal when visiting Winchelsea.

On 2nd September 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2094 recommendations about 1985 pubs]


Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The New Inn

Historic Greene King pub in the centre of the interesting small town. Three-part interior in an overall L shape, with two semi-separate seating areas in the front bar and a large rear bar / dining room. Semi-traditional furniture and decoration in each section. With two of five handpumps in use, I found Abbot and Harvey's (£4.80), with a reversed Long Man Rising Giant on a third.

On 21st May 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 8061 recommendations about 8061 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about The New Inn

The New Inn is a Greene King pub on a corner opposite the historic St Thomas’s church in the ancient town of Winchelsea. The interior of the pub is L shaped with seating at the front and a bar to the rear right beyond a log fire that was just starting to crackle when I visited with my family on a recent Thursday afternoon. At the rear of the pub is a ‘dining area’ that is really just a good sized rear bar. The walls are adorned with old prints, maps and photos of the area and the fixtures and fittings give off a cosy country pub feel which is in keeping with the surroundings of the town.
This pub opens at 11:00 every day, but during the week it is closed from 15:00 until 17:30. Food is available and the mains are prices around the £9 mark. There is a lunchtime menu with smaller and cheaper dishes and there is a small children’s menu. My misses liked her food and my scampi and chips were as satisfactory as scampi and chips can be. The kids weren’t very impressed as their sausages were burnt. The bar is stocked with a standard draught range and supports four hand pumps. One of these was unused and the Old Speckled Hen was off leaving a disappointing choice between Greene King IPA and Abbot Ale.
I didn’t note the presence of any televisions, but there was some very low background music playing. There is a weekly quiz every Tuesday from 20:30 and an upcoming dine with the Rat Pack evening was heavily advertised. Hikers are welcome, but they must leave muddy boots at the door. Our canine friends are not as lucky as there is a no dogs policy.
At the rear of the pub are a car park and a couple of picnic tables for smokers. There is an advertised secret garden behind a wall at the rear of the car park. This is an enclosed grass covered area with some picnic tables and trees.
With the closure of the Bridge Inn this place is the only proper pub in the village. I found it to be very pleasant, but the ale selection is very poor. The clientele seemed like a discerning and affluent crowd who I think would appreciate some decent brews from some local suppliers rather than the GK standard. I also thought that the food was overpriced for what it was, but the service was very friendly.

I wouldn’t make a special trip to Winchelsea just to visit this pub again.

On 23rd April 2013 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Rich Gibbs left this review about The New Inn

When in this area, my second choice establishment after the Queens Head at Icklesham. Situated in the delightful and picturesque hilltop village of Winchelsea, this pub offers good food, well-kept (if limited) ale and a pleasant environment in which to enjoy them.

On 31st March 2011 - rating: 7
[User has posted 35 recommendations about 35 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Manky Badger left this review about The New Inn

27 Feb 2011

Greene King IPA & Abbot on the hand pump. But we didn't try the stuff.
We couldn’t get near the bar because of the hordes of people attempting (and failing) to pay their bills by credit card. The problem being the staff were unable to operate the credit card apparatus.

In the twenty-first century this should surely be a straightforward operation?

31 May 2010:

A clean and tidy enough pub with reasonable food at a reasonable price. But the garden is spoiled by the licencee's children and friends - you get the distinct vibe that you are intruding on their play area.
With two ales on the hand pump (Greene King IPA & Abbott) the ale selection isn't up to that of many other local pubs.

It's a good enough pub. In some parts of the world it would be top banana. But in this part of Sussex it's up against some pretty stiff opposition.

On 27th February 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 155 recommendations about 154 pubs]