Shipley Bridge

Tucked away at the bottom of an old country lane, The Shipley Bridge is a 19th-century inn with a whitewashed exterior and a charming slate-tiled roof. Located in the Surrey parish of Burstow, a short drive from the lovely Harewoods Estate and the picturesque village of Outwood, it is also just minutes from the edge of Gatwick Airport. Whether exploring the wonderful Surrey countryside or stopping over before a flight, The Shipley Bridge is a welcoming destination for a delicious pub meal. Situated between the villages of Smallfield and Copthorne, The Shipley Bridge offers easy access to Surrey’s charming villages and towns, as well as its magnificent countryside. The venue boasts a dog-friendly atmosphere, ensuring that furry companions are also welcome to enjoy the surroundings.

Relaxing under the leafy trees in the wide-open beer garden on a summer’s day, it is hard to believe that one of Europe’s most popular airports is just down the road. During the colder months, when the open fires are lit and the cosy atmosphere is abuzz with people enjoying perfectly-poured pints of cask ale, this rustic old country pub exudes a special charm of its own. While it is challenging to pinpoint the exact date of The Shipley Bridge, the building itself is clearly visible on mid-nineteenth-century maps and is noted as an inn on maps from the 1890s. By the early 1900s, the Shipley Bridge Inn was supplied by Southdowns & East Grinstead, who, as indicated by the hand-painted sign outside the inn, were ‘brewers of fine ale and stout’. The origin of the inn’s name remains somewhat mysterious. The most plausible explanation seems to come from the name Shipley, derived from the Old English ‘sepelei’, meaning a meadow or pasture where sheep are kept. A little bridge just along the road from the pub, crossing the Burstow Stream, would have been used by local farmers to shepherd their flock from one grazing spot to another.