Sussex gastropubs, small churches
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News: the Sussex agenda
It’s Suffolk, not Sussex, which is holding fork and fort at the top of the best gastropubs in the UK.
Suffolk’s The Unruly Pig, outside Woodbridge.has topped the 2024 Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list.
But while it has regained new heights - it first won in 2022 - Sussex pubs seem to be disappearing faster than ministerial WhatsApp messages.
The Horse Guards Inn, in Tillington near Petworth, above, is the county’s top gastropub, according to the revered list. Sitting at 78th.
The inn, a former pub of the year in 2017, got its name in the 1840s, when part of the household cavalry would frequent the venue, while their horses rested on grass in the grounds of Petworth Estate.
Sussex has largely been missing on the Estrella Damm list in recent years. But why is that? For the county certainly has some hidden gems across East and West. Email us with your best pubs.
Sussex in colour
Sussex photographer Simon Dack, with a stunning starling murmuration in Brighton.
And from Brighton photo gallery owner Finn Hopson…
On your doorstep
Two Sussex Airbnbs have been named among the top 10 most wishlisted UK properties for a restful getaway in 2024. The Hide Out Hut near Rye and the Hoots Treehouse near Wadhurst were included on the list from Stylist.
The White Horses, in Rottingdean (below) is set to open this summer, with 32 bedrooms. It is the Everly Hotels Collection’s first hotel and the site, and has undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment.
The Times has highlighted seven of the UK's top tiny attractions, which included the smallest church in Sussex (Lullington)
The 13th century Good Shepherd also holds the rare honour of being perhaps the only ecclesiastical house to inspire an alt-rock song, writes The Times. The band British Sea Power used its organ on their (somewhat unimaginatively named) track The Smallest Church in Sussex.
Just 15 sq ft and seating only 20, it used to be the chancel of a larger structure, believed to have been razed by fire during the 1600s. As the church has no electricity, evening services are still conducted by candlelight (free; nationalchurchestrust.org).
Head to Wingrove House, in the nearby village of Alfriston, for log fires and a top-notch afternoon tea served with Sussex sparkling wine. Details B&B doubles from £155 (wingrovehousealfriston.com)
Meanwhile, The Times has also named an Alfriston bookshop as one of the best browsable in the UK. Head to Much Ado Books sometime.
East Sussex has been named top place for camping in the South East of England. It was handed the crown by Campsites.co.uk Beech Estate Campsite in Battle won best campsite in the South East overall.
On the Market
An imaginative and spacious conversion of an 18th century former farm building - on at £950,000
With views from the Juliet balcony over the coastline, this Hastings house where efficiency of function meets design, writes The Guardian. It is made of aluminium with vaulted ceilings, yet the compact footprint is easy to heat. There is underfloor heating, an air source heat pump and a mechanical ventilation and recovery system. A thick, mineral-based render on the walls aids insulation. £525,000 The Modern House
Herons Farm is a characterful Grade II listed farmhouse on the edge of one of the most sought-after villages in West Sussex. Kirdford, Billingshurst - on at £3m
A five bedroom semi-detached house is on the market at £2m - On The Market
Strangest purchase of the month - The 10-bedroom ‘Magnificent Beaubush Castle’ which is subject to sale at £3m
What’s on
Racing: Plumpton, Monday
The Shape of Things: Still Life in Britain
Still-life painting has been around since Roman frescoes of peaches and pomegranates, writes The Sunday Times, but it has long been seen as a lesser genre. "Not so!" says this bountiful exhibition, with its cornucopia of works by modern greats from Stanley Spencer to Lucian Freud, Vanessa Bell to Walter Sickert. Never have flowers in a vase looked so daringly avant-garde. Pallant House, Chichester, May 11-Oct 20
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