please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
And now The Anchor is boarded-up and mothballed by a Heineken subsidiary, called Star Pubs. The last landlord was a decent man, with lots of experience in the licensed trade. He pulled out; he just couldn’t make a decent living, because of the Draconian trading conditions imposed upon him by the “brewery”.
Will The Anchor be developed for residential use? The Red Lion, just 300m up the High Street, is now a small housing estate.
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Ezza and I popped in for an early evening mid-week drink - and wished we hadn't.
The place was full of noisy little children, running all over the pub, with drunken screeching mothers and low-life hoodies. A couple were eating chips from the nearby chip-shop - at the bar!
At least four beers were off, including both cask ales and the premium Italian lager, so we were forced to drink Guinness.
The impression is of a rough urban estate pub, but set in the middle of the conservation area of an English village - it's bizarre. We legged-it to the White Hart, after one pint.
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Yet another lot of new management!
It looks like two guys and a girl, but it's difficult to tell who's who. The are an altogether more pleasant lot, and seem to know what they're doing. Once more, it's food that they're concentrating on. I wish them luck, but with little passing trade and the pub's poor performance over the last three or four years, they have their work cut out, to turn things around.
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The Anchor is now under new management, although the managing couple are temporary, pending a more permanent tenant. Perhaps the best future for this troubled pub is to convert it to luxury flats, with a new-build block to the rear. There's ample parking space for up to twelve or more flats, and the infrastructure's already in place.
In today's economic climate, Great Wakering just can't continue to have four viable High Street pubs. It's a close call between The Anchor and The White Hart, as to who'll fall first.
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Great local, great real ale, but unfortunately not many on offer, I don't question the landlord stills just his ordering ability. This pub could be fanatic if the availability was better.
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Great local, great real ale, but unfortunately not many on offer, I don't question the landlord stills just his ordering ability. This pub could be fanatic if the availability was better.
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Great local, great real ale, but unfortunately not many on offer, I don't question the landlord stills just his ordering ability. This pub could be fanatic if the availability was better.
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Great local, great real ale, but unfortunately not many on offer, I don't question the landlord stills just his ordering ability. This pub could be fanatic if the availability was better.
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Grumpyputs have you really been into the anchor as everything you have been saying is a lie. The staff are great and the two owners have nearly killed themselves trying to turn it around I am a new customer to the pub but I think that instead of hiding behind a user name come down and tell the boys what you really thinking instead of lying through your teeth. I have never seen mtv or music full blast. The food is of good quality and the beer always good. These forums are a great place to air problems with any pub if it turns out to be true. In your case I think that you would be better staying at home with a case of old speckled moody git and enjoy your own company.
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We popped into The Anchor once more, to be told that the landlord and family were on holiday. There was no draught Carling, Stella or IPA, so we legged it yet again.
C'mon Punch Taverns - pull the plug on this lot!
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Another little pub-crawl of Wakering's inns: the Anchor was the third we visited. There was no real ale at all - not a single one! The only lager available was Fosters, and the apologetic young barmaid informed us that Guinness was the only other draught beer available.
This pub has been so badly mis-managed, as to defy belief. As Scott of the Antarctic observed, "Great God, this is an awful place!".
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We went back to The Anchor last week, for a second visit after the 2013 refurbishment.
It was 9.30 pm on a weekday, and we were amazed to see several small children running about the bars, one with a dummy in its mouth. The pub's TVs all showed MTV at full volume, and there was no one behind the bar.
We took one look at the shaven-headed, track-suited clientele, and walked straight out of the place. The people running this pub have managed to turn a silk purse into a sow's ear.
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I have lived in the village for some time now and all the pubs were pretty grim until the Anchor shut down for a complete refurbishment and i have got to say the guys have done a very impressive job. old toilets gone and replaced with clean and fresh toilets and my wife found the baby changing room excelent. they had 3 real ales on and they were all very good. they have however changed the the layout of the pub and taken away the large disused chimley which has opened the whole area up. the kids were outside safe and sucure with the new fencing and play equipment. The Anchor was never known for its food but they have gone to town with it and the kids loved the food aswell 4 drinks 4 meals all under £25. Keep up the good work and please dont let it slip back to the old Anchor
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This is a rough old estate pub, set within the conservation area of a pleasant village. The early evening atmosphere was unpleasant, with tattooed foul-mouthed shaven-headed yobs shouting over the intrusively-loud rap music. There were uncleared glasses all over the place, and the gent's toilet was filthy. Small children ran around freely, with negligible supervision from parents, seated at the bar.
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bacardi tasted of Archers & when told of the problem the barman wasalready aware due to complaints from other customers! hoice of lunch very limited & again barman not helpful, didn't seem to care but wanted to 'play' with his mobile phone. Very strong chemical smell filtering throough to bar so not very pleasant
Doubt we will go back
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Eh?
Please don't shout.
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PS AM NOT A MEMBER OF THE TRAVELLING COMMUNITY,BUT I DO FIND IT OFFENSIVE FOR A PERSON TO CALL ANY TRAVELLER"A PIKEY",SORRY TO END ON A SERIOUS NOTE BEERTASTER59
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APOLOGIES FOR MY PREVIOUS COMMENT WITH REGARD TO BEERDRINKER 59,WHAT I ACTUALLY MEANT WAS THAT MISERY GUTS BEERTASTER59!ARE THERE ANY PUBS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THAT HE WOULD ACTUALLY FINISH A FULL PINT IN?
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JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BEERDRINKER59 IS POSSIBLY THE MORST MISERABLE DRINKER OF ALE I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!JUST ENJOY YOURSELF PLEASE!
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very friendly staff, ceilings a bit to high and needs a bit of a paint job but all in all the best pub in the village
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Always friendly, nice staff and reasonably priced booze. I think this boozer is the best in the village.
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An imposingly large public house, built just before WWI, situated at the eastern end of the mile-long village High Street. It used to be the social hub of the village, thriving and popular.
The pub is in desperate need of an experienced Licensee, having in recent years been run by a succession of "first-timers", more intent on teenage mums' Karaoke, fruit-machines and aggressive Chavs than a warm, convivial, family atmosphere. Formerly renowned for the quality and range of its cask-conditioned ales, it can barely serve up a decent pint of IPA. The bright orange decor doesn't help. Even the Pool team have gone elsewhere.
It cries out for refurbishment, renewal and a change of customer base; it's a big pub and a makeover will cost a lot, probably affordable only by a national chain. Without this, the pub is rudderless and adrift.
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