Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Poll for date of Halifax crawl. with ROBCamra
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Stanley Arms, Brighton
Portslade
Postal town: Brighton
BN41 1SS
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Cask Fan left this review about The Stanley Arms
A basic back street local of the sort that is becoming a rarity nowadays. Lots of friendly locals enjoying their Saturday afternoon. Great selection of cask ales and reasonably priced. A short walk from Fishersgate railway station, slightly longer from Portslade (although more frequent trains). Also not far from the 700 bus route. I will certainly visit again.
On 16th October 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 43 recommendations about 35 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Stanley Arms
Back street local doing good business early on a Friday evening. The handpumps were offering up a choice of 5 or 6 ales (sorry, wasn't counting), including Harvey's Best and a couple from Red Cat - the Pale slipped down very nicely and at a reasonable (by 2022 standards) £4. Not a pub you're likely to stumble upon, but definitely worth the effort if you're exploring.
On 1st April 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Stanley Arms
This is a lovely old backstreet boozer with two bars and a number of interesting original features, making it worth seeking out. Entering via the corner door into the Public Bar on the right-hand side of the building, you find yourself in a bare boarded room with the servery immediately to you left. The bar has a nice dark wood counter with a traditional bar back and a very attractive multi-coloured stained-glass canopy. The room is quite narrow and I can imagine it gets easily crowded during peak times, so with this in mind, the landlord has removed all but the perimeter seating from the room, stacking all the chairs and stools that would’ve served the internal sides of each table, into a big pile in the rear right corner of the room. This leaves a series of long benches serving large, sturdy tables which ironically are ideal for large groups. The walls are half panelled with green painted uppers decorated with a mix of art prints, plain mirrors, breweriana and promotional material, some of which was advertising the screening of live sport. An upright piano stands halfway down the right-hand wall and weirdly has a Man Utd mascot perched on top, wearing a Man City coloured scarf and hat. The windows to the front and right have frosted lower panes with ‘Wines’, ‘Spirits’ and other such enticements written across them. A door to the left leads through to the Lounge Bar which has similar flooring and décor, maroon painted walls and much comfier seating. I didn’t really feel it was appropriate to go snooping around in here but could see customers were ordering from a separate bar. Old school vocal jazz tunes played quietly in the background and a trip to the toilets uncovered a patio garden which was very nicely kept and had plenty of picnic benches as well as a large mural on the rear wall depicting the eponymous Henry Morton Stanley delivering his famous perceptive greeting to Dr Livingstone.
The pub has something of a reputation for serving up good quality cask ale and I was pleased to find four options available on this visit – Harveys Sussex Best, St Austell Proper Job, Gun Pale Ale and Franklins Lawless. The latter was £3.80 for a pint and seconded by the very friendly barman who said I was sure to enjoy it. He certainly wasn’t wrong, as it was a very tasty session ale in excellent condition – perhaps the best kept pint I’ve found post-lockdown.
I really liked this pub and thought the traditional two bar set-up, attractive original features, friendly service and perhaps most importantly, the delicious beer, added up to a very complete picture of what a backstreet local’s pub should look like. I’d been wanting to visit this place for many years and am very pleased that I finally made it out here as it was one of the highlights of my crawl around Portslade and Hove.
On 27th August 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Stanley Arms
Easily found by following a path from the station that cuts through the grid of streets at an oblique angle, this pub is worth the effort if you're staying in Brighton. A street corner local with a loyal following, a friendly welcome and great quality beer. There are two rooms, which seem to have been opened out a little, with traditional bench seating and a wooden floor. It's very basic and, as I wrote in my notes at the time, utterly delightful. There are four hand pumps on the bar (see photo): I went for the Downlands Wolseley Best and the Veterans Tracer; the latter was a less good beer than the former, which to be fair I was forewarned of by the landlady, but I went ahead anyway. Good customer service spoiled by my own obstinacy! Every town should have a pub like this.
Date of visit: 22nd March 2018
On 27th April 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3740 recommendations about 3477 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Stanley Arms
The Stanley is a two-room backstreet local and very much a favourite with the local CAMRA group. The main room stretches a fair way back, although much of the action is at and around the bar, which features 5 handpumps, with another couple facing the smaller back room. A blackboard lists the ales to avoid punters having to wander about just to identify the beer. During the winter period, you'll find Harvey's Old, as well as ales from Sussex and further afield. This includes Sharp's Doom Bar (the pub claims to have been the first in Sussex to stock it, so you may feel they have quite a bit to answer for).
Decor and furnishing is basic, although I did spot the oddity of elves in football kit above the bar. Not many of us in when I visited; I'm sure the atmosphere picks up a bit later on.
Whilst I didn't warm to the place as much as others have done, I can see the attraction and would be happy to return.
On 27th October 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Stanley Arms
First-class corner pub hidden away in the backstreets north of Fishersgate station. Traditional two-bar layout, one narrow but elongated (housing the beer festival stillages) and the other smaller and 'L'-shaped (housing the piano, from which one collects a glass if buying a festival beer). Great atmosphere on a wet Sunday afternoon. Five handpumps in the main bar plus two in the other and up to 12 ales direct from the barrel (£3.00 to £3.30). Plenty of local CAMRA awards, and one can see why - well worth making quite a detour to visit.
On 22nd June 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Stanley Arms
I made a point of travelling some distance to watch the recent FA Cup final in the Stanley Arms and although it wasn’t very busy there was a very relaxed atmosphere. The attendance did pick up a bit towards the end of the match and there was at least one victorious Man City fan in the pub taking advantage of the numerous ales that were available. I actually counted seven hand pumps and I managed to work my way through five of them which I found to be very well kept. I only had a quick glance into the left hand side bar of this pub and saw some comfortable seating along with little TV screen that was off and a piano. The right hand side of the pub where I spent the afternoon has a dartboard at the rear and a plasma screen. The football was shown via BBC and I don’t remember spotting any Sky Sports signs. There is a beer garden out the back that houses five decrepit picnic tables and Noisy Nigel’s BBQ that is made out of breeze blocks.
There seems to be plenty going on here with meat and drink raffles on Sundays and a quiz every Wednesday from 20:30. There are also regular cellar nights where a pint is £2 from the tap and some cheap wine is laid on for the ladies. Children are welcome if they are well behaved and dogs are also welcome as long as they don’t dump in the garden.
This pub has a long list of CAMRA awards that cover the last decade or so and well regarded beer festivals are hosted here. During my visit I found the staff to be cheerful and the local’s to be friendly meaning that I would have no problem returning to this pub.
On 10th June 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5249 recommendations about 5217 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Stanley Arms
A backstreet corner local that is a real community pub as well as being a fantastic drinking den. Seven handpumps (WJ King, Spinning Dog, Dark Star, Itchin Valley, Sharps, Piddle, Thwaites) two ciders (Gwent y Ddraig, Sandfords) and a perry (Two Trees) served in oversized glasses. Wine is also given a push here. Our group were given a warm welcome from the staff and guv’nor, emphasised by a chalked hello on the pub’s darts blackboard. The interior has a two bar layout and is fairly basic in décor, save for the lovely glass panelling above bar. There’s a tidy beer garden to rear. Pub has a piano and darts board. Sport plays a fairly major role here with a couple of large screens; it’s apparently a good place to see events without the undesirable elements. Amen to that. Not sure about the collection of hideous football gnomes grinning at you from above the bar.
I really went a bundle on this one and would urge you to make the effort to get over there.
On 4th September 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5081 recommendations about 5064 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about The Stanley Arms
I read that the Stanley is local poty again for '09, and has a 'fest due 11-13Sep.
23 November 2008
Itchin Valley Fagins, St Austell Tribute, Hydes MumboJumbo, Arundel ASB (‘lish), Skinners Betty Stoggs. Previously reviewed, still a very good local pub, busy & chatty yesterday, lots of punters watching England rugby team rather put to the sword. I hadn't realised that there is another fairly large but quieter room beyond what turns out to be the central servery, no pumps on that side. Struggled to find it 1st visit last year, but if you take the footpath from Fishersgate station, continue across Manor Hall Rd, then take the 3rd set of steps on the right (Stanley Rd), you're sorted!
15 June 2008
Added to yesterday's Brighton crawl (10mins on train) and struck lucky as there was a beer festival in full swing, some 20 or so to choose from. Local camra poty 7 times in the last 10yrs, great stuff.
18 November 2007
A little harder to find than it would seem on the map but worth a hop off the train if passing. Good variety of handpulled beers offered Sharps Cornish Coaster, Dark Star Original, Hampshire Pride of Romsey, Itchen Valley Hampshire Rose, 1648. Posters of other breweries suggested that the rotation would be equally good with representations for Cotleigh, Timothy Taylor, Hydes, Ringwood. Great local feel, very chatty atmosphere, football showing on 2 small tvs & a large plasma. Dark wood floor, bandit, dartboard, very comfortable pub with great beer.
On 25th August 2009
- rating: 8
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nigel Sheppard left this review about The Stanley Arms
Great bar with friendly locals and a nice enclosed beer garden. Rotating selection of beers well served.
On 28th May 2007
- rating: 8
[User has posted 192 recommendations about 192 pubs]