The Bell Inn, East Sussex

Overview

A cracking community pub and dining destination, the Bell Inn is a fabulous and offbeat place to stay on the Kent/Sussex border.

There's plenty to delight and inspire: original sagging beams ooze historic charm, modern art beckons from the walls, lampshades are adorned with bowler hats and books are stacked from floor-to-ceiling. Add to this an array of 1930s suitcases, stuffed taxidermy and vintage typewriters, and you have a quirky aesthetic that's bound to amuse.

The 'Stable with a Table' function room is designed for banquet-style feasting and the red-walled dining room is the perfect space to suit every mood. Enjoy the secluded courtyard garden, filled with colourful flower and herb borders and rustic tables and chairs, and the fabulous fire pit area beyond - perfect for summer alfresco sipping.

With an astounding array of events, The Bell is very much at the heart of the local village community. From live music to comedy nights, monthly film evenings to wine tastings, creative courses and village fairs, you're utterly spoilt for choice!

Rooms from

7 doubles: £145; 4 lodges: £275

Good to know

Major credit cards accepted
Private and alfresco dining
Wedding venue
Comedy nights
Art courses
Parking available
Dogs allowed overnight

Family Favourite
The 'Between the Lines' Lodge is perfect for a family stay with a mezzanine, day beds, games and a vinyl collection. The suites and lodge rooms have kid-friendly sofa beds.

Events and celebrations
Licensed for weddings, The Bell is no ordinary wedding venue. Like the inn itself, expect something uniquely different - the functions rooms were extended and refurbished in 2020.

Quiet romance
The Love Nest provides the perfect romantic getaway for couples looking for a little peace and quiet.

Rooms

The eleven distinctly individual and rustic-chic rooms are designed to make guests smile - 7 quirky doubles, 1 spacious suite and 3 fabulous lodges in the garden.

Each has a beautifully dressed Somnus bed, rich fabrics, quirk light features and flat-screen TVs in gilt frames, whilst the rooms above the bar have a stunning silver birch trunk rising through the planked floors. Bathrooms are jazzy affairs with upside-down tiles and luxury soaps, and some boast huge copper tubs to sink into with a glass of bubbly.

The real show stoppers are the three unique shingle clad lodges and the circular Love Nest with its own private roof terrace. Set in a flower-festooned garden with a giant communal fire pit, each proves perfect for that special romantic night away. Think open fires or cosy wood-burning stoves, deep tubs and walk-in showers, and a big dose of eccentricity!

Restaurant & bar

Evolving with the seasons, the short modern menu celebrates the excellent local artisan producers that supply the pub. It not only underlines the community focused ethos of The Bell, but reveals the passion in the kitchen for sourcing quality ingredients from nearby farms and bakeries, as well as supporting small local businesses.

Mark Charker heads up the kitchen team, offering a creative, French-influenced modern British menu. Typical dishes may include asparagus with wild garlic, parmesan and crispy egg yolk; lamb loin, sweetbread and pie with pea and mint puree, courgette provencale, and smoked tomato; South Coast fish burger; and pavlova with spring berries, mixed berry jelly and lemon curd. For a light lunch, try the Rare Sussex Wagyu beef baguette with mustard mayonnaise and caramelised onion, best enjoyed on in the stunning, flower-filled garden.

Ale-lovers with find a cracking pint of Harvey's Sussex on tap, alongside two micro-brewery beers. The eclectic global list of wines offers a good choice of fizz, including three sparkling wines from Chapel Down Wines near Tenterden.

Private dining

The Bell Inn offers memorable food served in extraordinary spaces to celebrate special occasions, or simply life and the joy of living it well. Enjoy big Sunday lunches with family and friends on the long table in the Stable, which seats 18 people. The Big Room hosts up to 90 and is the perfect blank canvas to accommodate an exclusive event.

Things to do

East Sussex is home to stunning public gardens, such as Pashley Manor Gardens in Ticehurst. Enjoy English landscaping at its finest, with lovely old trees, fountains and ponds, with the unusual Grade I-Listed, timber-framed Tudor/Georgian manor house as a backdrop.

Or, head to the iconic Great Dixter House & Gardens, for many years the much-loved home of the renowned gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd. One of Great Dixter's most striking features is the magnificent Great Hall, the largest surviving timber-framed hall in the country.