Featured pub

The Pelham Arms

A High Street pub with a long local history, a listed front and a story more interesting than a single founding date.

Near the top of Lewes High Street, the Pelham Arms feels part of the town rather than simply in it. Today it mixes old Sussex pub character with food, a courtyard garden and local beer. Its own website highlights a "Boho Baja" inspired menu and rotating beers from ABYSS Brewing.

How old is it?

That depends on the source. CAMRA dates the pub to around 1640 and mentions oak beams and an inglenook fireplace. Historic England, whose listing is the official record of the protected building, describes the building you see today as an 18th-century house altered in the 19th century. We show both, and rely on Historic England for the building itself.

The building

Historic England records painted brick, a plain tiled roof, sash windows and a doorway framed by Doric columns. The building has been Grade II listed since 1952. Lewes History Group also records a 1949 painting of the Pelham Arms by local artist John R. Elvin, so it was already a familiar Lewes scene by the middle of the last century.

Food and beer

The pub's website describes the bar as open all week, with food from Wednesday to Sunday and independent local suppliers. CAMRA records the Pelham as the original home of the ABYSS brewery before it moved to larger premises. Opening times, menus and beers change, so check the pub's own website before you go.

At a glance

Pelham Arms website Directions

Find The Pelham Arms

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  Pubs and breweries

  The Pelham Arms

  Characterful High Street pub with food, garden and local atmosphere.

  High Street, BN7 1XL

  Checked 19 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the food hygiene register, its own website and LewesGo.

  • Map
  • Website
  • Directions

Sources

Written by LewesGo from the sources below. Opening times, prices and menus change, so check with the place itself before you visit.

• Historic England: Pelham Arms Hotel, list entry 1191429: Grade II listing and description of the building
• The Pelham Arms website: food, beer and opening
• Brighton & South Downs CAMRA: Pelham Arms: history, features and the ABYSS connection
• Lewes History Group Bulletin 76: the 1949 John Elvin painting