The Gun Pub

Heartbreaking and deeply disappointing experience

We held a wake here on 2nd of January, a day that was already incredibly painful for our family, and the way we were treated left us very upset.

We paid £450 for the room and £420 for food for 30 people. We understood that numbers might vary on the day, and we never expected extravagance, only decency, care, and respect. Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of that.

The room itself was beautiful, and I want to acknowledge that. Sadly, that was the only positive part of the experience.

From the moment we arrived, it felt careless. The sign outside reading In memory of Royston looked very poorly done, it seemed as if it had been done by a child, which was upsetting given that we had paid £450 for the room and the significance of the occasion.

The food was very disappointing. Everyone commented on how little there was. Even allowing for 30 people, it seemed as though there was very little for each person. Tiny slices of cake, dry scotch eggs that were difficult to eat, supermarket style food, and egg mayonnaise sandwiches with eggshell in them were served. We felt the food did not reflect the cost.

Service was also poor. The cups for tea were never replaced properly, and we had to keep asking just to get more. When I asked for more tea, I was told I had “had what I paid for.” When I asked if I could at least have some extra water for the little tea kettles, it was done eventually, but the attitude was rude and unhelpful. In our view, this type of service is not appropriate for a venue hosting a wake.

We also asked staff for help when my cousin lost his scarf. They did not check the adjoining bar and instead suggested we ring tomorrow. This lack of assistance was upsetting.

People use this place because it is literally five minutes from the crematorium, and it felt to us that the venue may rely on this for bookings rather than providing full service.

This was a day about remembering someone we loved. Instead, we left feeling let down and disappointed. For a venue that hosts wakes, the level of service and attention felt inadequate.

The pub is expensive, the food was poor in both quantity and quality, and the service lacked basic attentiveness. We would not recommend this venue for a wake or any event involving people at a vulnerable time.

So I had my mum’s wake here earlier today. I booked the newly refurbished ‘Jasmine Lounge’ at a cost of £300. In addition, the ‘per person’ buffet was £10.95 – so in total, it cost me over £800.

As mentioned, the room has recently been refurbished, but I would say it’s not quite 100% finished. A couple of the tablecloths were a bit grubby look and one had a burn mark in it. We paid for 48 people (the room is meant to hold 60), but there were only 4 tables with 8 chairs on each, so I had to ask them to put out another table and more chairs for everyone.

The food was plentiful, and very beige – lots of typical buffet food – pork pies, spring rolls, chicken nuggets etc. a selection of sandwiches and a couple of large cakes.

Towards the end of the afternoon, there was still a few sandwiches etc leftover, so I asked the lady if she had any takeaway boxes, and she gave me around 6, however they were quite small. So my dad went and asked for a few more……I was utterly gobsmacked when the chap behind the bar said I’d have to pay for them!

OK, they were 10p each, so 40p in total – hardly gonna break the bank, but I was just genuinely amazed and shocked they want to charge me for them, especially as we had probably spent over £1,000 if you included the bar tab!

I know its only 40p, but the attitude of the guy was not good, and it was already an emotional day, and this just annoyed me even more – if my dad hadn’t been there, I would have asked to speak with the manager about it!

40p – I still can’t believe they made me pay it! 😱😫🤬