The White Harte Inn Cuckfield - refurbished and reopening 1st July 2021

The iconic village landmark pub The White Harte, is set to open its doors once again next month, thanks to local Kevin Smith.

The White Harte will be managed by John Bowe (pictured), who lives in the village and has a lot of experience in local hospitality venues in the area. “I’ve got high standards when it comes to customer service and staff training,” he explains. “We have a new team ready to go and we’ve completely refurbished the cellar, toilets and the garden at the back.”

Working with South Downs Cellars, John has developed a brand new wine list, and is also excited to be adding a cocktail menu too, once they are up and running. “We are starting from scratch with the beer lines, and am happy to say that we’ll be welcoming Harveys on tap, among others.”

But it’s not all change at the pub, with BT and Sky Sports still available and John looks forward to welcoming back regular darts teams to enjoy some more local live sport!

The White Harte is set to open on 1st July, and will continue the work alongside the Evening Thai restaurant – which operates from half of the building.

The White Harte Inn sold

For many (many) months now, local residents have been waiting patiently to find out news of what the future holds for the White Harte pub in Cuckfield.

At the end of last month, Hall and Woodhouse brewery confirmed that the pub had been sold to an independent party, who intends to keep the establishment running as a public house, and for the Thai Restaurant to continue to operate as normal.

The historic pub, built in 1881, has been looked after by Jim Ayling and his partner, Jackie Young for almost 17 years now, but the time has finally come for them to move on from pulling pints and serving freshly cooked homemade meals.

Jackie said: “Jim and I would like to thank all our customers and friends for their support over the years. We will miss everyone very much. This has been a very difficult and challenging time for us all, so we’d like to send our best wishes to all of the other pubs in the village, and hope that they continue to flourish.”