Post Reply
Talkback Home

the royal anchor - jez fisher (19th Feb 2011  23:04:25) Just a quick note to all my lovely loyal customers.The royal anchor will be closed from the 28th feb till the 7th of april for a great well needed makeover, please make sure you visit us in this last week to see in the old and bring in the new. Things to look forward to are a great play area in the garden for the kids and a fresh new interior without loosing any of the anchors history and charm.Remember to come in with all your feb discount vouchers. Cheers and here is to another chapter in the Royal Anchor's history. Jez Fisher

Re: the royal anchor - Alan Pearce (24th Feb 2011  19:36:51) It is all very well stating "Here is to another chapter in the history of the 'Royal Anchor'", but do you REALLY know the history? There are many facets to it, some true, others pure speculation! I refer to the supernatural in this instance! When it served as a coaching inn, how fequent was the service to London and Portsmouth, and to other towns. Do you have any time tables? How many horses were stabled to facilitate the change overs, do you know the names of the mail and parcel agents, and the names of the local stage coach owners? What about the local hauliers that conveyed sundrie goods and parcels around the locality? - I have understood that the establishment was center for collection and despatch of such commodities. What gems of history do you have, (or know) about the miniature railways , (there were three different guages) that ran around the grounds? Far better than a noisey, so called safe play area for children. It certainly was far more entertaining when I used to visit in those far off days! The items mentioned above are, what I consider, to be SOME of the real history, not what colour the paint work is (or was) or how many brands of various drinks can be obtained, or even the menus!! Please try and enter into the REAL history of the place, and display photographs and litrature depicting the history through the ages in the bars and area generaly. Go on, give it a try. You may be able to give me some answers to the questions i've posed! Thanks anyway. Alan Pearce.

Re: the royal anchor - P Weyland (25th Feb 2011  08:51:34) If he can answer all that he's in the wrong trade!

Re: the royal anchor - liz (25th Feb 2011  09:21:40) Let's hope The Anchor's "history and charm" is not spoilt by the proposed illuminated signage and large 'totem' advertising poles. No guff about "progress" please. The centre of Liphook is a conservation area for a reason.

Re: the royal anchor - jez fisher (25th Feb 2011  22:51:56) sorry alan i am a landlord of a public house not a historian. i was just stating that this will be a new chapter as the inside of the pub is in need and has been for some time of a make over . i myself have run the anchor for ten years and am as proud of its history as most people in liphook.

Re: the royal anchor - neil (27th Feb 2011  10:17:58) Alan a little unfair on Jezz, but just most of the info can be found on wikipedia

Re: the royal anchor - P Weyland (1st Mar 2011  08:58:07) I was in there on Sunday and noticed that there was alot of decorative items that highlighted history connected to the Anchor. Lets hope that some of this is retained, I doubt Jez has alot of say in this though as Greene King wouldve dictated how it is to be. I hope the refurb goes to plan and they're soon back up and running. The Anchor is certainly a fim favourite for alot of people from Liphook and surrounding areas. Never had a bad meal or service from there. The staff do well with the demands placed on them from one of the busiest pubs in Greene Kings portfolio.

Re: the royal anchor - chris (13th Mar 2011  09:46:29) Greene King should be applauded for making a significant investment in the Royal Anchor in difficult economic times. I see they are holding two recruitment days in the Millennium Hall for the new jobs they will be creating in Liphook when they reopen. Good luck to everyone involved.

Re: the royal anchor - liz (14th Mar 2011  08:36:50) Greene King. Current market value £956m. Let's hope they do a proper job on Liphook's most prominent listed building.

Re: the royal anchor - liz (14th Mar 2011  09:19:04) I've always thought it a pity that Greene King didn't follow their 'Old English Inns' (which includes 'Old English Pubs') model for the Royal Anchor. These include "Some of the most attractive inns and hotels in the UK". More suitable for a very attractive, historic coaching inn [rather] than the naff 'Hungry Horse' model. Too much investment needed I suppose as the Anchor has been allowed to deteriorate so far. This is not a criticism of the current Anchor management, in case anyone takes it as such.

Re: the royal anchor - May Debonnaire (15th Mar 2011  10:01:13) Hiya just out of interest - is acommodation going to be provided within the refurb ?

Re: the royal anchor - Lynn (16th Mar 2011  08:47:57) Looking forward to the re-opening of the Royal Anchor

Re: the royal anchor - Mark (16th Mar 2011  09:40:29) Agreed liz. Although it's nice to see the pub be successful, you can't help but feel that the 'Hungry Horse' brand isn't sensitive enough to The Royal Anchor's historical importance. Cartoon murals of horses and toy machines aren't really in keeping with the history of the place. Let's hope this latest refurb goes some way to address this...

Re: the royal anchor - James (24th Mar 2011  18:47:57) Does any body know when the recruitment days are for the new jobs? Am I too late? Or should pele just turn up at the hall?

Re: the royal anchor - k (24th Mar 2011  20:30:42) im afaid your to late they were tuesday and wednesday

Re: the royal anchor - P Weyland (25th Mar 2011  14:31:06) Pele is applying for a job at the anchor? Guess he's too old too make the Brazilian team now :-(

Re: the royal anchor - Michael (7th Apr 2011  07:27:22) Does anyone know what time the Anchor opens today?

Re: the royal anchor - Beth (7th Apr 2011  08:21:56) The Royal Anchor opens at 11am today. To all of the cynics I'd highly recommend a visit. Not only does the exterior of the building look vastly improved, the inside has been renovated in a sympathetic and tasteful way. The decor is beautiful and there are most certainly references to the history of the building and of the village. The whole team have worked really hard to make the pub look and feel amazing. It's great to see some familiar staff faces back, and lots of new ones too. Congratulations to Jez and Petra and to all involved. Well done! Beth

Re: the royal anchor - liz (7th Apr 2011  08:34:49) The outside of the Anchor looks very good - no cartoon horses as far as I can see which is great, it looks far more inviting. If the inside is as well done it will be a huge improvement. Hopefully all the good work will not be spoiled by nasty draped plastic signs on the outside and distracting garish posters. Please? - I'm optimistically keeping my fingers crossed again!

Re: the royal anchor - Diana (7th Apr 2011  09:14:42) Well done Green King. It might not be 1911 but it is very much 2011. The refurbishment is excellant. Not sure about the tele booths but the new Anchor should suit all tastes. Bright ,clean and fresh. When you think about it the only people to muck it up are the customers.We ate last night and food was as good as usual with some new menu additions. The new staff did well for a first practice night, smiling ,polite and attentive,well trained.Well done to all. Some people will always find something to gripe about but well done Jez and Petra.

Re: the royal anchor - Sue D (7th Apr 2011  11:57:27) Garish posters? Personally I find the new flourescent blue Saga signage at the old Greenbanks building far more offensive, do they really need so many signs? Good luck to The Royal Anchor, looking forward to a visit.

Re: the royal anchor - liz (7th Apr 2011  12:27:17) "The only people to muck it up are the customers". Let's hope Jez and Petra do not agree with you!!

Re: the royal anchor - liz (7th Apr 2011  13:41:44) The Saga signs are not quite as garish as the tacky posters in my view but nearly. And I agree there does seem to be far too many of them.

Re: the royal anchor - annehall (7th Apr 2011  16:11:17) On a glorious lunchtime today we visited the Royal Anchor.The new refurbishments and fresh interior are excellent with the gardens and frontage tastfully done on the outside as well and as usual our meal was excellent so good wishes to Jez Petra and the Staff for making it an enjoyable place to visit. Will see you again soon

Re: the royal anchor - T Jordan (8th Apr 2011  16:45:05) I have just poped back to Liphook and visited the new look Royal Anchor - what an improvement I think the whole place look wonderfull. Very best wishes to Jez, Petra and all the staff

Re: the royal anchor - Phelim (9th Apr 2011  13:26:53) Have lived in Liphook nearly all my life and have seen Hungry Horse gastro pubs in a number of areas, including in other historic buildingd and this is VERY identikit. Yes they have kept a little of the character but I doubt that people from outside the area would notice it. As for the sign which makes no link to the history of the building but has the chain symbol - even the newer building in Whitehill has a proper sign even though it is part of a chain, Harvesters do a similar thing of the pubs having their own signs but Hungry Horse have a corporate symbol everywhere. Having looked at the allergen advice guide and compared it to the menu I won't be eating there. Their allergen advice guide tells me that the butter is gluten free (I am a coeliac) and the filling is gluten free but then describes it as part of a bread sandwich - why? If I wanted the filling I would get something else. Again - the sauce for the burgers is gluten free but the burgers and rolls are not. Why list them separately? Hungry Horse is NOT alone in doing this confusing thing and it makes eating out very hard as it looks like I could eat a lot as a coeliac but actually there is very little if anything that I can have. So those who can eat there - enjoy.

Re: the royal anchor - Steven King (10th Apr 2011  18:43:31) Phelim, I think you need to get a life. Do you know how many pubs are closing each month in the UK??? 25 a month!! with loads of job losses. The Anchor had to have an update otherwise it may have ended up being one of the 25.... I have been a customer in the pub for around 10 years plus and have seen it change management etc... Jez and Petra & the rest of the team, do an excellent job keeping the local residence whom eat and drink in there happy. I was actually in the Pub on Thursday and Friday and know how busy it was, there was a queue out of the door for food all night from at least 5pm... still at 9pm.... I wonder how many happy customers there was... well from the looks of the queues i think there was a lot. there has been some updating in the pub but it needed a bit of a update to ensure its history will be kept. if your going to moan please write the below address and say to them, as thats the only way it can be addressed: Customer Services Department Greene King Pub Company, Abbot House, PO Box 337, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1QW

Re: the royal anchor - Lynn (11th Apr 2011  09:29:35) I agree with Steven... The Royal Anchor is a lovely family frendly pub, and it's refurb has been a success, as i was there Friday and the queues were out the door, if people were not happy there they wouldn't go, i think it is an asset to the Village.

Re: the royal anchor - JonnyMR92 (12th Apr 2011  00:09:55) I work at the Royal Anchor as a chef, i started this job last monday and its my very first job and i absolutely love it. who ever criticizes the anchor doesn't know what they are missing, I have been a customer myself (before working there) for 8 years and theres not a single thing wrong, Jez is a legend as well, he gives me a lot of confidence and he knows how to run that pub well.

Re: the royal anchor - Phelim (14th Apr 2011  14:31:54) Steve - may be I'd get a life if I could actually go out like you can. Yes I know a lot of pubs are closing - one did in Liphook and is now a block of flats - but that does not excuse the removal of character for a quick buck. This happened before when The Royal Anchor was a Bernie Inn in the 1980s and very quickly the modernisation got tired. And yes - I have been inside. The Royal Anchor is a listed building that dates back centuries. In the cellar are the remains of chains where convicts taken down to Portsmouth to be transported firstly to America and then, after America's independence to Australia. Monarchs stayed there, Nelson stayed there, Pepys stayed there - and now it is an identipub. This is not the landlords fault but the powers that be above him. Now to the food. it is obvious that you have no one in your family who is gluten intolerant (coeliac), lactose intolerant, or has a serious nut or bean allergy, shell fish allergy or egg allergy - all of which can cause people to go into anaphyalactic shock. These dietry requirements are so serious that if you are coeliac you can not join the Army, Navy or Air Force. If you did you would appreciate that the smallest amount of cross contamination can kill or cause serious health problems including intestinal cancer and arthritis. For many coeliacs the small amount of flour used to dust a surface can put them in bed in agony. If you are allergic to egg or fish you can not drink wine because that is what they use to clarify the wine. Easter eggs and most chocolate bars are out if you can not eat wheat as manufacturers use wheat flour to line the moulds to get the chocolate out. As I said about the guidance Green King is not alone in this - and yes I have contacted Green King about this. They claim this is how they have to do these things. Looking at advice on the Coeliac Society website they do not need to do it this way, and Green King is not the best place to eat if you are a coeliac. Now - rather than calling on me to get a life because I do not like what has happened such as the loss of the anchor from the hanging sign on the grass - just be pleased that you can go to the Anchor and do what you want and stop being so arrogant and think about those who, because of health reasons, don't have the freedom to make the decisions you can.

Re: the royal anchor - Mark (14th Apr 2011  16:26:09) I agree with Phelim. I ventured inside the pub* last week and was left dismayed by the current 'facelift'. It's now more akin to a tawdry American diner than a historic coaching inn. Although I'm happy to see the pub* succeed, it's a real shame that it has to be to the detriment of its rich history. * I use pub in the loosest sense of the word as it's now more of a crèche.

Re: the royal anchor - Phelim (14th Apr 2011  17:46:42) Mark - I would say it is now more of the "gastropub" equivalent of Pizza Hut in decor, but see what you mean.

Re: the royal anchor - Finchie (14th Apr 2011  20:37:57) Well we had a fab time last Friday early evening in the garden with a whole load of mates and all of our kids. It was a pleasure to go somewhere that welcomes kids - with great facilities for them (food & play) - as we had very bad experiences at other pubs where the little angels have been involved !!! While the queues were long, because it was rammed - I guess with loads of people curious as to the refurb. I'm sure that's not a long term thing - and everyone was really pleasant. Great start to the weekend - and satisfies the Finchie "Pyramid of Happiness". Happy Kids = Happy Finchess = Happy Finchie !!! Taxi ... Cheers, Finchie

the royal anchor - Phelim (15th Apr 2011  13:36:03) Putting aside my dislike of the new decor (which was dictated by "the management"who I also blame for the confusing allergy advice) one of the best things to happen to the Anchor in recent years is the arrival of Jez who turned round a tired pub. As long as Jez is there things will continue to go well after the hunnymoon period. I just hope that the new decor does date too quickly and make his task much harder.

Re: the royal anchor - Janet A (17th Apr 2011  17:37:18) I'm disappointed to learn that the Anchor is still a Hungry Horse. It does seem a shame that a historic old coaching inn is reduced to being a jumped up burger bar in order to survive. Better that than closure, I suppose.

Re: the royal anchor - Stuart (17th Apr 2011  21:34:19) Went to the 'new' Royal Anchor today, and it's well worth a visit. The place generally looked smart, the food was fine, and the service really good. It's great for the kids in the garden too. From the road it's certainly a big improvement. It's not The Links but it's a different kind of pub. This is something the village should support. Congratulations to the team!

Re: the royal anchor - valerie castro (24th Apr 2011  13:31:12) I was looking to see if there was an easter egg hunt, amazed to find moaners, so heres mine: historians who completely update their ole country houses, to onlookers its tragic but they dont care!! wonder why?? It used to be full of beer swiggers, not now, its used by the whole community. they cook our food, serve us drinks entertain our kids, what more can you ask for? The history! I say find all the treasures and stick um on E BAY!!! Brilliant job to all at the anchor!!! thankyou all

Re: the royal anchor - Dave (24th Apr 2011  15:30:19) Avoid the cauliflower cheese open tart. Ordered with chips but served with a jacket potato. As the other meal was served at the same time we opted to "make do" with the jacket. Then the fun realy started! The pie was so hard, looked like it was leather lined, that it could not be cut. Returned it and explained the problem and was promised a replacement whch duly arrived - again with a jacket potato. The pie was still like rock and the cauliflower has disappeared from the cheese sauce. The potato was grey and appeared to have been previously frozen and reheated several times. We then asked to speak with the manager. Nearly 15 minutes later he arrived with the excuse that he was too busy to deal with customers complaints and "no there is no chance of any refund as you have eaten half the food and head office rules say you have to retun at least half!" Well I suppose the salad had been eaten. Perhaps they can then recycle it! We won't be rushing back.

Re: the royal anchor - Jean Pharo (5th Nov 2017  15:53:31) I am looking into the past history of The Royal Anchor at Liphook I have knowledge that my Father and his brother used to go and stay with my Great Aunt who I believe owned this coaching Inn. My Father used to tell me tales of how his Brother and he used to climb the big tree in the front so Aunty could not put them to bed! My Father was born in 1886 so I need to step back in time. I have just been there and sad to see Big Tree has gone! My Father lived in London so I assume they were sent there to get a good dose of fresh air. Can anyone help with any past information

Re: the royal anchor - Mr Paddy's Daddy (6th Nov 2017  08:37:18) Strongly suggest you visit the Liphook Heritage Centre -check their opening times at www.liphookheritage.org.uk I called in two weeks ago on a similar mission - they could not have been more welcoming, helpful, and friendly as well as answering my questions and more. Good Luck

Post Reply
Talkback Home