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The Swan, Crawley
Crawley
RH11 7AY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Swan
The Swan is a pub of two halves with a small comfortable and quiet bar with fireplace to the left and larger bar to the right that was busy with an after-work local crowd during a recent Friday visit. There is a dartboard to the right rear just before a door to the pool room. There are at least two televisions and Sky Sports is advertised. These were off during my visit in favour of some background music. Live music is held here on Fridays and Saturdays and there is a DJ from 16:00 on Sundays. Tuesday is open mic night; the pool table is free on Wednesdays and there is a weekly quiz on Thursdays.
The bars support a standard keg range and there are nine hand pumps across the two bars. Timothy Taylors Boltmaker, Ruddles County and Fullers London Pride were available from both bars. The third bank of three hand pumps in the quieter bar was unused. The plethora of old pump clips around both top bars is evidence that there is a rotating cask ale range. The only food I noted as being advertised was the homemade beef stew for £5.50. I would be surprised if this was the only available hot food.
I found this to be a decent local boozer that I would return to visit.
On 2nd November 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Swan
Difficult to tell how old this recently reopened pub is since the dark red brickwork and tile hanging has been a local building style for a very long time. Anyway, the etched glass is old enough to feature Smoking Room on one window, but the three rooms around the main counter have been partially opened out at some stage (although the central section with the dartboard is devoid of furniture and there are only a few benches around the rear pool table). However, there is also another smaller, tapered bar around the side with more seating. Doom Bar and Pride available from two of the three handpumps, but Exmoor Christmas Ale (£3.80) was also being dispensed directly from a cask on the counter.
On 31st December 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Collett left this review about Swan Inn
After getting a good soaking walking from the station to find this pub, I was disappointed to be told that it no longer serves any cask ale. I chose a bottled beer from Sharp's (a red IPA with a nautical name I can't remember) which was okay and drank it quickly while looking at all the beer mats adorning the walls and ceilings representing cask ales that they have served in the past. Friendly barmaid otherwise the rating would have been lower.
On 23rd October 2017
- rating: 3
[User has posted 6 recommendations about 6 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Swan Inn
This former Whitbread pub is a fairly basic two bar local. I entered the public bar which had bare floorboards a dart board and a pool table. It was quiet on my Thursday lunchtime visit. I noticed the window near where I was sitting haf Smoke Room etched on it.
Judging from the reviews below and other sources I must have missed some hand pumps here as I only saw three in the public bar with one unused plus the local Kissingate Sussex & Coffee Porter. I should have had a closer look round but the Coffee Porter (£3.55) was beckoning, it was in excellent condition. My only reservation here was the open mic and live music nights that were advertised, the sort of events that make me avoid a pub.
This was my fourth pub visited in Crawley and I have to say that they were all better than I expected. This one is GBG 2016 listed.
On 11th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Swan Inn
The Swan is a friendly two room pub, just a short walk to the west of Crawley town centre. The pub retains something of a traditional feel, with two distinctly different drinking areas served by the bar that separates the two rooms. The public bar is the bigger of the two and has bare floorboards, half paneled walls and etched windows bearing the pub’s name. The seating options are fairly basic, with a couple of alcoves opposite the servery housing a mix of benches and standard chairs around a few tables. One alcove has a dartboard on the back wall and another one had a TV screen showing Champions League football whilst other TV screens in the room were showing the evening news. The walls and ceilings have been decorated with all sorts of music (mainly rock and metal) and movie posters, as well as some t-shirts and photo collages, but despite all of this and the fairly loud rock music that was playing, I didn’t get the feeling that this was a niche pub for rockers or bikers or the like. At the rear of the room is a games area with a pool table and various sporting images on the walls. The servery has also been well decorated, with just about every inch covered in an impressive array of pump clips, which extends into the smaller saloon bar. This is a carpeted room with a brick fireplace at one end and a more comfortable selection of seating options. Some old photos of the pub hang from the walls as do a healthy number of CAMRA certificates including North Sussex CAMRA Pub of the Year 2012.
The hand pumps are all in the main bar, so if ordering from the lounge, you will need to consult the blackboard which lists the ale options. There was a nice mix of popular ales (Fuller’s London Pride, Young’s Special, Greene King Abbot Ale) and more adventurous alternatives (Dark Star Hophead and Belgian IPA, Arbor Hoppy Ever After). I gave the Belgian IPA a try (£3.40 for a 7.2% beer) and thought it was in excellent condition.
I was loath to leave this place after just the one pint, but unfortunately the last train was calling, so I had to make a dash for the station. I enjoyed my visit very much and will ensure that I make time to spend a little longer here the next time I’m in town.
On 18th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Swan Inn
In a town that isn’t exactly blessed with quality pubs, the Swan is certainly worth making the effort to seek out. A short walk from the town centre, this traditional, twin bar, local’s pub will be of interest to ale fans as it probably offers the most diverse selection in the area with 6 ales including several micro’s (many local) that included Gadds Little Cracker (3.05), Leatherbritches Scary Hairy (£3.05) and Kissingate Moon (£3) alongside the more regular London Pride (£2.85) and Dark Star Hophead (a bargain £2.50). One pump was unclipped on my visit.
The décor throughout the pub is an interesting mix with the main containing a large collection of classic heavy rock posters and album covers behind a protective plastic screen and several bikers t-shirts hanging down from the ceiling. In the smaller side bar is a huge collection of pump clips, an aquarium and a bell on the bar counter that only the bravest of locals dared to push without incurring the tongue in cheek growls from the barmaid. There is a dart board in the main bar and several TV’s + Big Screen shoing Sky football. A separate room at the rear houses a pool table and there were posters for occasional live music.
The customer base was surprisingly varied and I didn’t get the impression that the displays echoed the general characters who use the pub although there was a slightly downmarket feel to the place with a few punters being a bit half cut 6.30pm.
Were it not for the ales the pub maybe wouldn’t stand out as much but I enjoyed my brief visit and was made to feel welcome. As a result it was the only pub in town I stayed for more than a single pint and I would certainly include it on any future visits.
On 3rd March 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Swan Inn
Two rooms with the bar in between, bare boarded floors, wainscotted walls, etched windows with The Swan motif, real fires in exposed brickwork fireplaces, the log fire giving off a welcoming smell from the back room. A pool table is well situated in a seperate area. A dartboard is available too. Rather shabby and careworn but none the worse for that. Live bands on Friday/Sat evenings, two screens in the main room were showing seperate cup games yesterday lunchtime. No sign of food, this is a drinkers pub.
A few film posters and a bit of bric a brac form the decor.
Pride, HSB, Abbot,Spitfire and Greenjack Ripper were the selection. I almost ordered the GR until a friendly punter tipped me off it was 8.5%..it was a bit early for that, although we did share a half as an add on to our last round. The beer mat collection suggests a better selection than the above, and if Ripper is the one guest, its a bit odd to have one so strong.
A good spot though and I'll pop in again when we visit Crawley next season.
On 14th February 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about Swan Inn
A good pub, serving good beer and doing good business - in Crawley! Popped in for last weekend's Sussex Beer Festival (1648 Brew Master the pick for me). Plenty of people packed into the yard at the back - many oddly dressed, but then it was Halloween.
On 8th November 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]