The Buckingham Arms

Still remains a busy and popular pub.  We don't use it that much but every visit has been a pleasure.  Food is quite good and an exceptional stock of ales.  One of the nice things about Shoreham is that everything is so close at hand.  There are so many choices to eat, drink and be merry......................and here is as good a place as any!

The Buckingham Arms is a traditional pub, located adjacent to Shoreham railway station, and thus a great favourite with those wanting a quick pint before running for the train (on which, see more later).

The main draw for outsiders is the choice of ales. As you enter, you are confronted with 11 - yes, eleven - handpumps, featuring 6 regular ales and up to five guests. It's like having an ale festival every day.

Regulars include Harvey's Best, Abbott and Greene King IPA. On my last visit the guests included Hop Back Summer Lightning, Morland Original and Harvey's Christmas Ale (served in halves, as it's 8.1%). The beer has always been well-kept, and well served, and the staff are generally friendly and efficient, although a few times when it has been busy we've had to wait longer than I felt was reasonable.

The interior is very traditional - dark wallpaper, prints, patterned carpets and lots of wood; but there's also a TV showing Sky Sports. If I'm honest, the interior is not the most atmospheric, but it's the beer that you come for. In the summer, there's a small beer garden at the front and a garden space at the rear.

A note on catching trains: if you are heading towards London, Hove or Brighton, the platform is on the other side of the tracks from the pub. It can be accessed via a subway from the nearest platform, or by crossing the level crossing and walking straight on.

But be warned: the barriers come down three minutes before the trains arrive, so you can't leave it to the last minute and saunter across the tracks. Many a drinker has been seen running like crazy along the platform, under the subway and back up again, only to miss the train. Not recommended after a few pints...

Real ale heaven, and only a short stagger from the station to get home. What more could you want?

The regulars are Harvey’s, Green King IPA and Abbot, which you can get easily in other places, but the guest ales are much more interesting: it features regularly in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. There’s a nice beer garden at the front for use in good weather, although it gets busy pretty quickly in summer. A must-visit venue on any visit to Shoreham.

PS Adhere to dmj1962’s advice about leaving enough time to get the train, if you going toward London or Brighton, unless you want some frantic exercise going via the subway.