Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
28 January 2010
09:4839004I am with you there Andy. We are lucky to have some really good town centre watering holes. I will continue to support Blakes as I do now but I will make a point of popping along to the White Horse to see Jeanette and imbibe..... a good excuse for an extra pint or two.
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,304
28 January 2010
20:3639033It will be nice to get back to the White Horse again. I haven't really been there since Charlie Willetts was mine host. I say really becuase I did try to go there last year (or was it the year before) to attend a DF do. I didn't get there until about nineish and found the place almost empty. The staff said that the Forumites had moved on but didn't know where. I think that Keith had the same problem.
I went home and got a bottle of wine on the way.
Toodlepip
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Terry Nunn- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,304
29 January 2010
07:2839061Text just in from Jeanette:-
"Mandy & I just read all the comments on DF. Didn't realise the thread was there but made very nice reading. Can you thank everyone for the positive comments please? Really appreciated"
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
29 January 2010
08:2439062Ah yes Terry I remember that unfortunate incident where we missed you and Keef. I think it was at Mary Graham's fairwell do..you will all remember Mary Im sure. It was a midsummer do and everyone had gone onto the back terraces. I remember it particularly becuase when roving reporter Mary and myself got there...there was no one there..shock!! horror!! and we were gobsmacked. It was only after a while after we had already sat down and when someone came in from the garden for a drink that we caught on. We then told the staff...but...Im still gutted when i think about that.
Saw Jeanette and Mandy in the DE this week so with all the publicity it should start off well.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
29 January 2010
09:3039064Just another little bit ...
During the summer last year after this pub had been closed for sometime..there was talk that the place was being done up. There were notices on the door and it all looked encouraging...the rumours were good, perhaps a revival was coming. Then one sunday it opened up again. ColetteB, BrionyB, and myself went over to check out the back terrace as yes we were planning yet another party.
We went in and woe is me - what a disaapointment. The place was worse than ever, the smell of decay was everywhere. We couldnt stick it so we went out onto the back terrace. But it was worse out there. The back terrace had turned into an unparalled overgrown mess with barbecue equipment and all sorts not cleaned out, everything rusting and broken. It was awful. We left after one drink and we never went back.
On the way out to freedom again, and you felt free when you left the place, there were three guys at the bar, one of them was Nigel.
I make reference to this to show that if you pass up on the basic standards then people wont spend in there. Here we were standing there with wads of cash and ready to part with it (and we do sometimes spend hundreds of £'s on parties)...but we left with the cash still in our pockets, so not good business.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
29 January 2010
11:3339069i hope that money is available for bringing it up to standard, doesn't sound like there are any cheap solutions.
knowing jeanette, she will put her heart and soul into bringing back the customers, may take a bit of time though
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
31 January 2010
12:2039209It will be great to have the pub open again and although I only know Jeanette just to say hello, I am sure she will do an excellent job. She is certainly experienced in this field and I seem to remember being served by her in 3 different pubs, in as many days.
I have to disagree though Paul, I think the fabric of the pub is great as it is. A bit of general maintenance may be required but I think you are mistaking the smell of decay with that of character. Solid hardwood tables that require a beer mat under one leg far exceed the soullessness of the angular pine nonsense found in many contemporary 'bars'. Laminated floors, crisp plasterboard walls, and over-engineered automated sanitary equipment (that does everything but shake it for you) all has a place, but this is certainly not in pubs like the White Horse. Rough old sofas, wonky furniture and toilets where you can see your own breath in the colder months are wonderful.
Now it may be possible to cite an argument that society is more discerning and that the 'pub-goer' expects more, but I just don't think this is true. This outlook could be applied to the 'bar-goer', an interesting creature that sips over priced Chablis or drinks bottles of beer with lumps of lime stuck in the mouth, whilst eating pimento stuffed olives from a terracotta dish and only talking to the people that they have gone out with. These people are usually just the product of media conditioning and after portraying the idea of discernment in a social context, just go home and eat ready meals and watch the 'X-factor' because they really haven't actually got any taste at all.
The 'Pub-goer' however, eats peanuts from the bar (free to everyone), flying in face of media conditioning, that tells him/her that there is probably 16 different types of urine on the peanuts and if the hand-drier in the toilets is broken, this could increase exponentially! The pub goer talks about everything, with complete strangers and moans about how rubbish TV is. WE don't care about silly Swedish furniture or clean floors, and we can sit in a bar and talk to anyone as long as the beer is good. The fabric of a pub is secondary to the people in it...even if that is only a handful. We are of course a dying breed, as more people in their obsession with cost, turn to drinking at home and watching one of their 600 sky channels; With Lifestyle channels that portray yet more swanky bars and distort their outlook even more.
Now I'm not saying there is no place for slick modern bars, but the White horse is great the way it has always been and unnecessary tampering would make me quite sad!
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
31 January 2010
19:1639251Knowing both Jeanette and Mandy very well, have no fear. They are certainly both aware of what makes The White Horse popular and have no plans to make the pub into something it isn't by introducing drastic changes. Expect more of the same, but improved, i.e. earlier opening times, food to be brought back and some new furniture and decorations. Real Ale fans will certainly not have to go elsewhere!
Of course it is early days so please don't expect a hugely revamped pub with a full menu on opening day. They plan to introduce facilities after they have got settled in and have the staff trained up. Rome wasn't built in a day!
Please bear in mind it will be the first time Jeanette has managed a pub. It's new territory for her so please give her all the support you can. I'm sure she'll welcome any positive suggestions.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
31 January 2010
19:3239256i don't think that anyone expects a grand refurbishment, i suspect that a minor "tarting up" and a good friendly host together with the drinks that the customers expect will attract former customers back, and new ones gradually to visit.
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
1 February 2010
12:1239313I'm certainly looking forward to the White Horse re-opening, we've had some great evenings there in the past. I like the pub, it has the feeling of a nice comfortable 'olde inn' with plenty of character and history with connections with channel swimmers going back through the years. Being a 'real ale' man, I can't wait to quaff an interesting pint or two, I draw the line at sampling the free bar nibbles though.
Terry Nunn- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,304
1 February 2010
13:1139319Indeed Barry, think of how many fingers have been in them where the gent hasn't followed the "Now wash your hands" dictum.
Some time ago a survey showed that bar peanuts had traces of at least 6 different types of urine in them!
Bottoms up!
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
1 February 2010
13:1639320i avoid bar snacks for that very reason.
1 February 2010
20:2439358Real Ales! When does it open?
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
2 February 2010
15:0539430Bern
March 5th!
True friends stab you in the front.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Jeanette has asked me to remind everyone that the re-opening night is this Friday - the 5th. See you there!
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
Wouldn't miss it for the world, Phil. Even my recently amputated toe won't keep me away.......
True friends stab you in the front.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
We will also be coming along,as I do not drink it will be a coke but my wife will make up for that. Vic