The Basketmakers Arms

When looking for liquid refreshment, sometimes it can be hard to settle on on one of the many pubs in Brighton & Hove. There are plenty to choose from—it is often said that there is a pub and a church for every day of the year in this city!—and only so many that boast a unique, yet cozy, atmosphere.

Very few have remained in their traditional form over the years, as the trend for craft IPAs, ironic neon and chicken-wire partitions wreaks havoc on the ambience of the traditional British boozer. One pub in particular has not only managed to keep its authentic pub feel but has been carrying hidden local histories on its walls, dating back to its Victorian-era early days. 

You see immediately upon entering the pub that the walls are littered with tobacco tins and boxes from as far back as the 1850s, when the establishment first became a drinking house. Get up close and you’ll find that they are stuffed with paper notes from the pub's many customers over the years.

You’ll find everything from confessions to poems, recipes to jokes, declarations of love to incoherent ramblings. If you like one in particular, tradition dictates that you replace it with a note of your own.

They say, “in vino veritas,” and these little containers filled with the heartfelt rambling of yesteryear’s (and yesterday’s) drinkers are a great example of the true history of a place. So grab a pint of ale and entertain yourself with the many hidden treasures of this great pub’s past.