The Stanhope Arms, Brasted

Been past a few times recently, at different times of the day and evening and it seems very, very quiet. In fact having driven past twice this week, once in the evening and once mid-afternoon on different days and it looked closed both times.
Perhaps they have decided to call it a day: poor reviews aside, it can't be easy to run a pub in a place where you're clearly not very popular for whatever reason.
Such a shame, it could be a charming little place: given the other very over hyped options in the area, a small local like this should be at least ticking over.

11 Oct 2013 06:52

The Olde George Inn, Shoreham

Should be a lovely pub, it has a lot going for it, but sadly it is a bit hit and miss.
The landlords can be the same, one day they are very friendly and on yet on another day they are completely the opposite.
Everyone who works there must presumably live in the village as they all seem very caught up in village politics and don't seem to worry about discussing the personal business of other people in the village in front of customers.
Apparently they now have a new chef as, if gossip heard when staff were talking to other locals is to be believed, the old chef left because the landlords messed him about with his salary and he didn't have fully working equpiment in the kitchen: the food is still a bit hit and miss and the whole place is a sticky and grimey in places.
A real shame as with a bit of effort and maybe a bit less nepotism it could be a fabulous place: maybe if the landlady had a few less holidays (she always seems to be going off somewhere) and instead spent a bit more money on things like cleaning, essential equipment and paying her staff properly, the atmosphere in there might change for the better.

1 Sep 2013 04:48

The Stanhope Arms, Brasted

Don't usually leave reviews, but having read all the other comments I made a point of looking at this pub on the couple of times I have visited recently.
Apparently the people there at the moment are covering for the landlords who have gone away, or so I heard one of them tell another customer. These people are friends of the actual landlords and are thinking about whether to take it over from the landlords or not. Apparently the actual landlords have had problems with some of the locals and these stand-in people reckon that they are very experienced and could turn the place round. Not sure that being a friend of the current landlords is something they should be advertising given the fact that the landlords seem to have upset so many people in the short time they have been there.
As far as I can recall, the stand-in people have been there nearly a fortnight now so presumably they would have had time by now to stick some bleach down the loos and move the manky towel in the ladies but no, the loos still looked mucky and the towel looked like it was in exactly the same place as it was last week and the week before.
The place was again very empty for a sunny Saturday afternoon, the garden was a real mess with rubbish all over the place and considering they were not busy it's a mystery why dirty glasses were left on several tables, attracting wasps and flies. The stand-in lady came out in the garden a few times but perhaps she has a phobia about dirty glasses as she certainly didn't collect any.
The chef at the moment seems to be one of the stand-in people too but he also doubles as a singer apparently and is doing a 'turn' tonight in the pub. Maybe he could put a pinny on and give the place a clean for his next trick, or put some washing on and maybe wash the manky towel in the ladies, or collect some dirty glasses up.
This could be a lovely pub but has no atmosphere either with the actual landlords or the stand-in people in charge - neither couple seem to have an idea about the local area or local people and seem fixated on passing trade rather than also keeping regulars happy and coming back.

31 Aug 2013 20:15