Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
pubs galore bar with sheffield hatter
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by paulof horsham
Submitted on Sunday, 6th October 2019
With picture contributions to 2232 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (11 more images)
Detail Pages
The Kings Arms, Dorking
Dorking
RH4 1BU
Served areas

Reviews of The Kings Arms (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Kings Arms
Another old pub on West Street, complete with creaky floorboards,low white ceiling with black stained timber beams, a long horseshoe shaped central bar which the main room wraps itself around with a couple of offshoot nook and cranny areas along the way.There is a courtyard beer garden.Five pumps on the bar with four in action,all Sheps beers, Master Brew, Spitfire,Whitstable Bay and Bishops Finger. A very nice pub, though a couple of guest ales wouldn't go amiss.
On 28th August 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1356 recommendations about 1342 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Kings Arms
A Sheps pub retaining a good deal of the historic interior (on speaking to the friendly manager I found out that parts of the building are at least 300 years old and the evidently historic right hand room was formerly a militia recruitment office!). A rambling multi area’d, dark varnished wood interior with cross-hatch leaded windows and chunky furnishings. Enter to the main bar with a raised area to the right - note the impressive dark wood panelling, especially the I RM roundel (1st Royal Militia). Five pumps, four ales on from Sheps; Spitfire, Master Brew, Bishops Finger and Late Red (good though a bit cold). Beware that one of the two rear patios (by the dining room) is non-smoking. Worth dropping in to soak up some history.
On 30th October 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4042 recommendations about 4030 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Kings Arms
In Dorking’s town centre in a street dominated by antiques shops is The Kings Arms, a characterful 15th century building with, notably, no hanging pub sign or sandwich boards outside to advertise its presence.
The interior features much wood panelling, oak beams and frosted leaded windows. There’s a number of adjoining areas full of nooks and crannies, all of which helps create a cosy and warm ambience. The floor is part carpeted, part quarry tiled. Of particular note is an inscription IRM on some wood panelling at the far end of the pub which denotes the Ist Royal Militia who used the pub as a recruiting base. King Charles II is reputed to have stayed here. At the back is a separate, somewhat brighter, dedicated dining area.
Against this background, somewhat surprisingly, I didn’t recall seeing a single framed photo or print anywhere inside relating to either the pub or the town of Dorking itself. Commenting to a fellow customer on this and that I could therefore be anywhere, I received the Trigger – like response, without any hint of irony or sarcasm at all, that “you’re in the Kings Arms in Dorking, mate”.
It’s a Shepherd Neame pub with 6 pumps serving on my visit 3 Sheps beers plus, most notably, Dark Star Original as a guest. A blackboard told us that other Dark Star beers were coming soon, as was a beer from Tillingbourne Brewery. The Dark Star beer was pretty good and, perhaps partly because it was only £ 2.95p a pint, seemed to be outselling all the 3 Sheps beers taken together, which were rather more expensive.
If you’ve only time to visit one pub in Dorking, I reckon this is probably the one to go for.
On 30th November 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
View more reviews of The Kings Arms (7)
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Kings Arms pages at the Shepherd Neame site - www.shepherdneame.co.uk
- Twitter - Kings Arms
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Kings Arms - whatpub.com
Dorking Deepdene, 0.85 miles, 16 min walk (show)
Dorking, 1.09 miles, 21 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - patio - last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 28 August 2015 by Moby Duck
- Pinball : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 31 October 2014 by Quinno _