Newhaven pub owner says fond farewell to ‘old fashioned’ and friendly local after 25 years

Agnes Rogers, 78, said she has enjoyed her many years at The Prince of Wales at 49 South Road near Newhaven town centre.

Agnes said: “It’s a nice, old fashioned pub and my customers like it.”

She added: “I’ve met a lot of people and we’ve been together a long time now and my customers are a good help to me if I’ve got any problems.”

Agnes, who would like to retire, said: “I’m selling because my husband passed away and I’m on my own now.”

Her husband Harry, who she owned the pub with, died in 2024 so she has cut her opening hours to part time. She is from Scotland and plans to move back after selling.

Agnes said: “A lot of people who come in like the pub because it’s still the old fashioned kind. It’s still a real pub. I don’t do any food. It’s a friendly pub and there’s more chatting than there is people on phones. You’ll get a conversation in The Prince of Wales and it’s a good safe pub as well for women.”

The Prince of Wales is now on sale for a reduced price of £370,000, according to its listing by property agents Sidney Phillips. In March 2025 the asking price was £380,000.

A Sidney Phillips spokesperson said: “Our clients have owned and operated The Prince of Wales for the past 25 years. It operates as a traditional wet only public house serving the needs of the local community. The business enjoys a loyal, local following who use the premises on a daily basis.”

Sidney Phillips said it is operated as ‘a lifestyle business’ without the need for additional staff. They said: “The Prince of Wales prides itself on its lack of fruit machines and jukeboxes, focusing on a true pub experience centred around good beer and talking.”

It added: “The Prince of Wales is a two storey mid-terrace property, understood to have been built in the 1930s. The property is of brick construction under a pitched tile roof, with a unique green tile frontage with mock Tudor elevations above.”

It has a saloon bar with carpeted flooring, a wood-built bar servery, a flat-screen television and seating for 28. The public bar has a pool table, a dart board and two televisions, as well as seating for 16 with room for more people standing. There are ladies and gentlemen’s toilets and a ground floor cellar. The pub also has a courtyard patio with seating for ten. The owners’ accommodation on the first floor comprises two double bedrooms, a double bedroom with an en-suite WC, a living room, a kitchen and a utility room.