CHICHESTER
trail 1 - North - South
Chichester is a Cathedral city on the south coast of England in West Sussex.
Chichester is easily accessed by train, bus and road via the A27. In the centre of the town is Chichester Cross, built as a covered butter cross is now two stories. From the cross four roads (East, South, West and North) go of at right angles. At the intersection of South and West Streets stands Chichester Cathedral (11th century) with the shrine of Saint Richard.
Places to visit include The Pallant House Gallery containing modern British art and The Chichester Festival Theatre
Close by are Brighton and Portsmouth
Chichester pubs are not dominated by any particular brewery. There is a fair share of free houses.
Almost all pubs offer food at lunch and most also do evening meals. There are a couple which are probably more restaurant than bar.
Many also offer city centre accommodation from Bed and Breakfast to actual Hotel.
Chichester - North-South (BLUE ICONS)
TRAIL 1 North-South - 12 pubs (or 9 if skipping Macro, Trents and The Ship -they are more restaurant than bar and no real ale)
Chichester - North-South (BLUE ICONS)
On the corner beside the railway station is The Foundry (this was The Globe Inn) –drink here first because you have been travelling or last because it has a screen showing up to date train departures! Let’s leave it till last.
Walk up towards the town centre. Once across the traffic lights there is The Vestry. Continue on passing the Slug and Lettuce and enter The Fountain. Drag yourself away and walk straight up to Chichester Cross and through to North St. A new pub has appeared and reach it by turning off of the pedestrian area to the left along Crane St find The Escapist.
Return to the pedestrain area and continue up to the left and you will find The Old Cross on the right. Turn right at the next road and go down St Peters side street to The Park Tavern. Walk around The Park Tavern and priory Rd/Ln will take you back to North St. Continue on towards the roundabout which has Marcos (closed) standing on it.
Strictly speaking we are now going out of the centre but these next two pubs are worth visiting, and they are not far.
Turn left and make your way around the roundabout taking St Paul’s Rd to find The Rainbow Inn (now closed) on the right-hand side. Leaving here walk back to the roundabout and continue round by going through St Paul’s church (it’s safer). Once on the other side walk up Broyle Rd to The Bell Inn. Return to the roundabout and use the underpass to reach North Rd again. Walk up towards the cross and find The George and Dragon and then The Ship Hotel.
There is now a walk back to South St and half way down this on your left is Trents. Crossing over and continuing to station there is The Slug and Lettuce and then to The Globe Inn at the station.
Vestry
The Vestry is a large cave of a place offering a variety of seating in several sectioned off areas. It has hotel accommodation and offers food from 7am to 3pm. Most evenings have music entertainment.
Have a half pint here.
Bitter :American Pale Ale (Long Man); John Smith
Lager :Fosters; 1664; Carling; Amstel; Heineken
Cider :Strongbow; Symonds Guinness
The Fountain ★
The Fountain, Chichester
The Fountain, Chichester- lower bar
The Fountain, Chichester- upper bar
The Fountain, Chichester
The Fountain pub (Hall and Woodhouse) is over 100 years old. It has outside seating down the side and three rooms. Two of the rooms are served by the same bar. The main entrance takes you to the top bar (3rd picture). Through a door and down a step is the middle room with a larger bar (2nd picture) and door to the outside seating (1st picture)). Through from the middle room is more formal table and chair seating.
Food is served throughout the day. The pub offers wi-fi and real fires.
Good Pub Guide 2013
Have two pints here
Real ale : First Call; Tanglefoot; Hopeful Hop (all Badger); Sussex Bitter
Bitter : John Smith
Lager :Peroni; 1664; Fosters
Cider :Stowford Press Guinness
The Old Cross
The Old Cross is a pub/diner. It has a centre bar serving three sides of a large open plan room. This has booths and split into sections by half walls. There are several outside tables in the pedestrian area (so no car fumes).
Real ale : Directors; Greene King IPA Gold; Black Sheep
Bitter : John Smith
Lager : Carlsberg; 1664; Fosters
Cider : Aspall Guinness
The Park Tavern ★
The Park Tavern has outside seating on pavement overlooking a large park. Inside there is a bar in the centre of room with seating on either side. Through to the right is a dining area. Stitch and Bitch on a Monday; Quiz on Tuesday. Food available and dog friendly.
Have two pints here.
Real ale :Finest (Hydes); London Pride; Seafarers (Gayle/Fullers); HSN (Gayle/Fullers)
Lager :1664; Fosters; Frontier Craft Lager (Fullers)
Cider :Strongbow; Aspall Guinness
Marco (now closed)
Marco is more of a restaurant than a bar. However, there are places for just drinking. It does offer bar stools at the bar and some seating close by. There are also tables outside the main door and a back terrace.
Have a half pint
lager: Grolsch; Carling; Coors Light
Cider: Thatchers
PUB QUIZ
What did Lord Byron do when told, as a student at Cambridge, that he was not allowed to keep a dog?
Answer at foot of page
The Rainbow Inn ★
The Rainbow Inn no longer has separate rooms but has a long bar with seating to the left side. To the right there is another room where food can also be served. There is music on Fridays.
Closed Mon and Tues; opening at 5pm other days
Across the roundabout prices drop around 50p
Have a pint here
Real ale : Copper Hop (Long Man); Dark Star; Force Four (Isle of Purbeck)
Bitter : John Smith
lager: Fosters; 1664; Crafty Blond
The Bell Inn ★ ❤
The Bell Inn is the closest pub to the Chichester Theatre. As such it can stay open late, although no new customers allowed after 12pm. The main bar is to the right, while a dining area is to the left. Attractive traditional pub decor of beams and brasses. Outside seating is beyond the dining area. Closed 2.30-5.00
Landlord is happy to talk beer and pubs.
A map on the wall shows the (many more) pubs in Chichester in 1962.
Good Beer Guide (CAMRA) 2013 ……2023, 2024, 2025
Have two pints here
http://www.thebellinnchichester.com/
Real ale :Pride of Pendle (Moorhouse); Green Bullet; Wherry (Woodforde)
Bitter : John Smith
Lager :Carlsberg; 1664; Fosters
Cider :Strongbow Guinness
The George and Dragon
The George and Dragon is a modernised bar offering ale, restaurant and bed and breakfast. There is a small L-shaped bar at the front of the pub. Some sofas to the left of bar with large main seating area to the right. This becomes a dining at the rear left and this, in turn, opens to an outside terrace.
Have a pint here
Real ale :Landlord; Deauchers; Sussex Gold (Arundel); Doom bar
bitter: : London Pride
lager: : Peroni; Stella; Becks; Esterella
Cider: :Thatchers valley; Aspall Guinness
The Ship Hotel
The Ship Hotel is a boutique hotel and restaurant. It is in a Georgian building. The bar is to the left of the entrance. Comfy seating is available at the start of the room with windows overlooking the street. As the bar curves to the right there are bar stools and high tables. Beyond the bar is the large dining area
Have a half pint.
bitter: London Pride
lager: Peroni; Carlsberg
Cider: Aspall
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresbourgh Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
Trents
Trents is a restaurant with a small bar. There is however more informal seating on the heated back terrace.
Trents is also a five-bed roomed hotel. As well as the restaurant bar there is the Shed Bar.
Have a half pint.
Bitter : Greene King IPA
Lager : Peroni; Leffe; Becks; Carling; 1664
Cider : Aspall Guinness
Slug and Lettuce (now the Chantry)
Slug and Lettuce (now The Chantry) is part of a 70+ national chain. It is a corner bar with full sized windows to front and partly up side. Tall tables to the front; dining tables to rear and sofas along the side opposite the bar.
Have a half pint
Lager :Stella; Brahma; Amstel; Peroni; Carling
Cider :Magners Guinness
The Globe Inn (now The Foundry)
The Globe Inn (now The Foundry) is a large sports bar on the corner opposite the station (even has screen with train details). The bar is open plan but sectioned off by half walls and raised areas. There are 4 pool tables and 17 TVs of various sizes. The area to the right of entrance has sofa seating and low tables. Lots of different football scarves attached to the walls.
The Foundry is an Irish pub but without the ‘craic’ signage everywhere so is tastefully decorated with a mixture of styles of seating. It has the largest beer garden in town
Have a pint here
Real ale : Doom bar
Bitter : John Smith
Lager :Peroni; Carling; Fosters; Carlsberg; Stella
Cider :Stowford Press Guinness
“Too much work and no vacation,
Deserves at least a small libation.
Sop hail my friends, and raise your glasses,
Work's the curse of the drinking classes.
.”
— Oscar Wilde
ANSWER: kept a bear instead