Thanks I would have voted for it myself if I knew everyone would ignore it. I prefer it to Brighton by a long way. In 1979 I believe only one of the pubs was owned by Harveys and that was the Swan. All the other pubs selling Harveys beers were Beards pubs (now mostly GK). I presume people didn't vote for it as there may not be enough outlets for a PUG crawl plus the possibility that they've all been there before.
Those, and the train journey, may have influenced people.
I did half a dozen pubs in Lewes four years ago, including the now reportedly closed Crown, though I did not review them as I was drinking with friends and preferred to join in the conversation. I think our favourites were the Black Horse and the Lewes Arms, though there was nothing wrong, as I recall, with the Brewers Arms, the John Harvey and the Gardeners. I wouldn't mind going back some time, as there were others that we didn't have time for that I would have liked to do. Some of the reviews of Lewes pubs on this site are getting a bit long in the tooth, and your review of the Volunteer is not particularly encouraging!
Come On You Hatters!
My recollection is that the bar is (was) fairly small and to the right of the entrance, a pleasant, well-lit room, with the left hand room being the hotel dining room. A decent Harveys Sussex Best. (Incidentally, the prospect of meeting this beer in almost every pub may also have been a factor in the "nul points" scenario: not me, I hasten to add, I like it!)
I'm not sure which is worse - the pub being closed or the pub being given the JDW treatment. The latter is probably worse for the other pubs in Lewes (he said provocatively).
Come On You Hatters!