About

A historic village pub with a modern approach

History

A public house steeped in history

The family records reveal that The Dorset Arms was built in 1595 and became a public house in 1735.

Situated in the outstandingly beautiful Sussex Weald, part of the historic Buckhurst Estate, the pub is named after the Earls and Dukes of Dorset, one time heads of the Sackville family, and shares a heritage of family ownership now headed by their descendant, William Sackville, the 11th Earl De La Warr.

It has been in the same family ownership since the 16th century, except for the period 1986-2013, during which it was the property of Harvey’s of Lewes. It is now back under family ownership.

Easily accessed via the footpaths through the Buckhurst Estate are both the church of St. Michael and All Angels, in which the tombs of the Sackville descendants can be found and the real life “100 Aker Wood” made famous as the setting for the Winnie the Pooh stories of A. A. Milne, where Christopher Robin played with the present Lord De La Warr’s father.

In his 1909 ‘Sketchbook of Tours in Kent and Sussex, a charming drawing of the Dorset Arms appears by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the celebrated early 20^th century architect, designer and artist. Mackintosh was known to be a close friend of Lady Margaret Sackville’s and while visiting Buckhurst Park designed the sign for The Dorset Arms and is also believed to have added the finials to the exterior of the pub.

Part of the historic Buckhurst Park Estate

Buckhurst Park has belonged to the De La Warr family for more than 900 years. In the reign of William the conqueror, it formed part of the Estate of Ralph de Dene, and was recorded in the Doomsday Book.

It passed to the Sackville family – Lords Buckhurst, Earls and Dukes of Dorset, and Earls De La Warr in 1140 and the history of Buckhurst and the Sackville family has been woven into English history ever since.

The Estate hosts many outdoor pursuits including pheasant shooting, fishing and clay pigeon shooting and, with the beautiful backdrop of Buckhurst Park, is the ideal choice as a wedding venue or for corporate events.

Find out more at buckhurstpark.co.uk

Our People

Lord De La Warr

Having spent most of his early career in the City of London, Lord De La Warr has always had a passion for food, which is evident in his involvement with all aspects of The Dorset Arms, but particularly the menus.

When, five years ago the opportunity to buy back The Dorset Arms presented itself Lord De La Warr was able to incorporate the pub back into the Buckhurst Park Estate as well as realising his childhood dream of owning a restaurant.

Lord De La Warr is passionate about using locally sourced food, our Sussex beef comes from a local farm or when possible comes from his own pure bred, organic (grass fed) Sussex cattle reared on the Buckhurst Estate, as do the pheasant, partridge, duck and venison that we use during the season.

The famous and very popular Buckhurst Park sausages are produced locally and made to his own (secret) recipe.

Lord De La Warr’s involvement in The Dorset Arms ensures that we have a diverse selection of classic and contemporary dishes, served in a restaurant that offers the very best without ever surrendering the feel of a village pub.

Careers

Join our team

We’re always looking for extraordinary people to joint our team.
Please get in touch for vacancies or to find out more.

Call us on

01892 770278

What our customers say

"Great staff that all work hard "

"Yet again another fantastic meal, been a few times now, so friendly great staff that all work so hard at keeping everything going smoothly
"

"We would have no hestitation in recommending it to others .."

"We have been to the Dorset Arms many times over the past few years and the standard has been consistently good. Lovely warm friendly atmosphere, nice staff and good food. Always a pleasurable experience. We would have no hesitation recommending it to others. Thank you for a great Sunday lunch!"

"Service was very efficient and very professional ..."

"The lovely staff here managed to squeeze me and my family in for a roast a couple of weeks ago and were very accommodating of my small children. Service was efficient and very professional, the pub was cosy and atmospheric and above all the food was top notch - the best roast I’ve had in years. We will be back!"

"This was a lucky spur of the moment find..."

"This was a lucky spur of the moment find after an autumnal walk at nearby RSPB Broadwater Warren nature reserve. Welcome and service was really good, enough GF options to choose from and lovely quiet environment to enjoy a leisurely meal. And well worth a temporary lapse in vegetarian diet to savour the crispy pork belly bites (appetiser) and the venison steak (main). Wonderful."

"Lovely pub, quite traditional but the food is awesome."

"Lovely pub, quite traditional but the food is awesome. Only had Harvey’s on hand pump but IPAs, Guinness and lagers available. The smoked haddock on mustard mash was delicious. There’s a 7 mile walk that loops from this pub, so what’s not to like 😁"

""They were always attentive and the food was excellent. We could not have asked for more...""

"We hired a pod for our 40th wedding anniversary. The staff managed to balance being always available but not a constant interruption. They were always attentive and the food was excellent. We could not have asked for more..."

"Excellent food and service in their lovely dining room"

"Excellent food and service in their lovely dining room. Parfait to start was silky smooth and the chicken main dish was large and beautifully cooked. Three selections of cheese were enough for both of us! Thanks to the team who cooked for us and served.

"