Fountain Inn, Ashurst

The Fountain is a quintessential grade II listed village pub dating back to the 17th century. It has two bars plus a restaurant with flagstone flooring with exposed beams and an open fire.

The large garden features a restored cider press and the renovated barn doubles as a skittle alley and function room. The pub is popular as a classic car and bike rendezvous point. The building occupied by the present inn was one of several timber-framed, partly tile-hung farmhouses in the centre of the village, opposite the village pond. It became an inn under the sign of the Red Lion by 1788, and adopted the name Fountain Inn soon afterwards. In the early 19th century, the building was extended: an extra wing was added on the north side, perpendicular to the original structure, in brick. In contrast to the tiled roof of the older part, the newer wing had a slate roof. At the same time, the façade was altered from its original timber-framed appearance: the Georgian style, popular at the time, was adopted. Author Hilaire Belloc, who wrote extensively about Sussex in his fiction and non-fiction works, mentioned the Fountain Inn in his novel The Four Men: a Farrago; he wrote approvingly about the ale. In 1979, the pub was used to film part of the video for Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney's Christmas song with his band Wings. Actor Sir Laurence Olivier lived just south of Ashurst, and the Fountain Inn was his local pub. The Fountain Inn was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 9 May 1980; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest".