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!"

"One of the best roasts and staff were great .."

"Fabulous Sunday lunch. One of the best roasts and staff were great.
"

"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 😁"

"Super dog friendly .."

"Great service and fantastic value set menu. Interesting food and beautifully presented.super dog friendly Tooze will definitely be back soon"

""Excellent food, service & a lovely varied menu too""

"Excellent food, service and a lovely, varied menu too. We had a great evening, thanks guys. Highly recommended for dinner."

""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 meal, excellent service "

"Excellent meal, excellent service. Very happy friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere.
"

""Food was excellent, service was fantastic""

"It was the first time I've been to the Dorset Arms. Food was excellent, service was fantastic and I would recommend eating here. I will be back again for the Sunday roast!
"

"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.

"

Certificate of
Excellence

2015-2017 Winner, TripAdvisor
Diners' Choice
Award 2018

OpenTable

Reservations

Book a table

Or call us on
01892 770 278

The Dorset Arms Instagram

We're On Instagram

Our epic Fish and Chips is consistently one of the most popular dishes on our menu.
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Beautifully soft, flaky Rye Bay Cod in deliciously crispy beer batter served with minted pea purée and triple cooked hand cut chips- the perfect way to kick off the weekend!
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#fishdish #dishoftheday #fishandchips #sussexpubs #sussex #eastgrinstead #ashdownforest #dogfriendlypub #muddysussex #friyay #weekendvibes #publunch #localpub

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We are warming up our cosy corner of Sussex on this wet and windy day .. why not escape the wind and rain pop in and join us for lunch or a drink by the fire ..
#sussexlife #ashdownforest #pubswithrooms #dogfriendlypub #sussex #eastgrinstead #englishpubs #tunbridgewellsmums

Open

Rye Bay Whole Roast Lemon Sole, New Potatoes, Samphire, Mussels, Lemon Butter ..a delicious dish from our Autumn menu.

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Rye Bay Whole Roast Lemon Sole, New Potatoes, Samphire, Mussels, Lemon Butter ..a delicious dish from our Autumn menu. ...

It’s almost that time of year again and we are busy taking Christmas bookings for December so if you are thinking of a glass of festive cheer, a get together with family and friends or a work celebration join us for a tree-mendous run up to Christmas.
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Whether you are looking to book a table for 2 or 22 we have a superb Christmas Party menu offering a delicious selection of your festive favourites as well as some Dorset Arms specials
🎄 2 Courses £32.50
🎄 3 Courses £40.00
(Pre-order required with £10 deposit pp)
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To book your table call us 01892 770278 or via link in bio
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#christmasspirit #englishpub #publife #hospitality #sussex #sussexlife #christmasparty #pubsofinstagram #tunbridgewells #cosypub #muddystilettos #staycation #pubswithrooms #pubstagram #tunbridgewells #tunbridgewellsmums #ashdownforest #bedandbreakfast #localpub #christmaspartyfood #partytime #eastgrinstead

Open

🎄Christmas is 6 weeks today🎄so to help with your party planning and your festive fun here are our Christmas and New Year opening hours - if you have any queries or would like to make a booking please call 01892 770278
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#christmastime #christmasparty #sussexlife #sussex #pubswithrooms #sussexpubs #dogfriendlypub #christmashours #partyplanning

Open

Fire up your week and pop in for cosy pint or why not join us for something to eat from our bar snack or a la carte menu..
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#cosypub #englishpub #fireside #sussex #sussexlife #muddysussex #dogfriendlypub #pubswithrooms #publife #Publunch #pintofbeer #tunbridgewells #tunbridgewellsmums #christmaspartyideas #christmaspartyseason #eastgrinstead #ashdownforest

Open

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
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“For the fallen” by Robert Laurence Binyon 1869-1914
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#lestweforget #armisticeday #poppies #wewillrememberthem

Open

Today is International Stout Day..What better way to celebrate than to join us at The Dorset Arms for a perfectly poured pint of Guinness and a Buckhurst Scotch Egg by the fire.
#pubfood #Guinness #fire #stout #beeroftheday #pub

Open

We are delighted to introduce our very first ‘Curry Night’ on Thursday 21st November at The Dorset Arms. Come and join us for a delicious three course set menu at £30.00 per person featuring:
•A selection of sharing starters including homemade Pakoras, Samosas and Bhaji
• A choice of a Prawn, Chicken or Vegetable Curry with a selection of sides and accompaniments
• A pudding of Pistachio Kulfi
Call us on 01892 770 278 to book

Open

A cosy autumn scene at the Dorset Arms today! Hope you can join us this half term for a bite to eat from our delicious seasonal menu.

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A cosy autumn scene at the Dorset Arms today! Hope you can join us this half term for a bite to eat from our delicious seasonal menu. ...

No tricks .. just treats here! Our famous Venison Cottage Pie is back on the menu.
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Made with venison delivered to us straight from The Buckhurst Estate, created to our secret recipe then topped with buttery mash and a cheddar cheese crumb ..if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s a must!
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#pieoftheday #cottagepie #venison #venisonrecipes #localproduce #lovelocal #publunch #sussexpub #englishpubs #tunbridgewellsmums #tunbridgewellslife #tunbridgewellsfood #ashdownforest #eastgrinstead #dogfriendlypub #pubwithrooms

Open

Another wonderful new addition to our menu…Balsamic Roasted Fig Salad with Poached Pears, Candied Walnuts and Brighton Blue

Open

Another wonderful new addition to our menu…Balsamic Roasted Fig Salad with Poached Pears, Candied Walnuts and Brighton Blue ...

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Find us

Visit the Dorset Arms

Find us nestled in the heart of the Sussex countryside on the edge of Ashdown Forest just a 15 minute drive from Royal Tunbridge Wells.

View Map

Opening Hours

Mon & Tue:	12:00 - 20:00
Wed - Sat:	12:00 - 23:00
Sun:	12:00 - 18:00

Kitchen Hours

Mon & Tue	12:00 - 14:30
Wed - Fri:	12:00 - 14:30 18:00 - 20:30
Sat:	12:00 - 20:30
Sun:	12:00 - 16:00