Public Houses

We used to celebrate mates' birthdays back in the eighties with a procedure known as ‘The Golden Gallon’. This was meant to be a well-structured pub crawl in which we would set off round eight pubs, always starting and ending at the Swan on Southover High Street, drinking a pint of Harveys in each one. Well structured? In theory, anyway. After eight pints of Harveys there isn’t much structure to anything anyone does, and we rarely finished with more than a handful of those who set off.

Which is a long winded way of introducing a wonderful exhibition - part of Artwave - featuring handmade prints, woodcuts, collographs, linocuts and monoprints, by 16 local printers, including the launch of Public House, a new handbound limited edition book featuring prints of all the pubs of Lewes. Original prints are hung around the walls, designed in a diversity of styles by local artists, including Carolyn Trant, Peter and June Flanagan and Brian White. My favourites are the Lansdown (June Flanagan), and the Crown (Susan Skinner), both pubs I have been a regular of, over the years. The Lewes Arms features both internal and external scenes. Though none of the characters inside are recognisable, I’m sure that’s my bike tied outside. The exhibition hangs in the Hibbert Room in Westgate House, a great space for such things: to get there you have to pass a parade of colourful silk scarves, which are also worth stopping to have a look at. AL