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Image posted by peter ashworth
Submitted on Sunday, 31st March 2013
With picture contributions to 26844 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (7 more images)
Detail Pages
Gunton Arms, Norwich
Thorpe Market
Postal town: Norwich
NR11 8TZ
Served areas
Reviews of Gunton Arms (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about Gunton Arms
I was totally unprepared for this pub as I cycled along the A149. The sight of the inn sign on a tall post brought me screeching to a halt and taking the unexpected driveway through the woods on the left. Through a tall fence I could see what looked like a hunting lodge in the local knapped flint style: this is the Gunton Arms. Once inside there is a bar to the right, a mixture of fakery and original features, I would guess, and there are dining rooms and function rooms with names like the Elk Room (see photo) and the Emin Room. The bar room itself is quite pub-like, with pool and darts, and a stylish bar counter with four hand pumps on it and the obligatory selfish customer stood in front of them. I went for Lacons Falcon Ale, which was in good condition. Watch out for the TV screen above the bench next to the pool table - I hit my head on this as it is rather large and the ceiling is low. Not so avoidable is the background music, which was pretty awful.
Date of visit: 15th July 2023
On 24th August 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Gunton Arms
The Gunton Arms has to rate as one of the oddest pubs I've visited across the UK.
There is a pub sign on the main road at the entrance to a driveway, which leads to a rather large car park. With no sign of the pub itself, we headed back to the driveway and located a hotel reception in a stone outbuilding. The receptionist informed us that the pub could be reached through a gateway which led into a rather grand estate.
The pub is certainly an impressive building. It overlooks the grounds, where we could see deer in the distance. Given its strange location, I was surprised to see how busy the place was. There was a mix of drinkers and diners, with some of the clientele clearly being locals.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the the staff and the place itself was not too pretentious. Prices were not overly exorbitant and staff seemed fairly down to earth. However my theory was disproved when a hotel staff member wandered through the bar with a hotel guest she was checking in and stated that "as you can see, members of the general public are allowed in here too"!
The artwork mentioned previously did raise our eyebrows too. Mrs S was amused to find pictures of naked women in the ladies' toilets, whilst there were also naked men in the gents!
Woodforde's Wherry & Lacon's Legacy are the regular ales. The guests were Lacon's Falcon & Barsham Back at the Bar.
A unique place with significant novelty value.
On 24th August 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Gunton Arms
This new pub opened in autumn 2011 by - I am informed - a local art dealer in what was a hunting lodge set in a 1,000-acre deer park. Multiple rooms with log fires host an eclectic decor mix from mounted animal heads to genuine artworks by the likes of Gilbert & George, Tracey Emin, Julian Opie and I'm sure many more. Also featured is a rather grand baronial fine dining room, a large, covered outdoor drinking area with open fire (naturally) and hotel rooms; this is a pub-cum-art gallery(!) of an altogther grander order and I wouldn't have been surprised if a fish pedicure were available somewhere on the premises.
My one visit was brief (a couple of drinks) but service seemed very friendly. The drinks selection is what you'd expect in a pub of this sort with local ales on pump. Prices seemed quite cheap by London standards, but I suspect are on the high side when compared locally. There's also a pool table and dartboard in frighteningly close proximitiy to one another and I seem to recall seeing a plasma TV showing sport (lose one point). Clientele is both thankfully mixed and friendly though I suspect most in attendance had probably driven here; there's a large car park situated away from the pub.
I would certainly come here again, not least because there's little choice in the area. However, those of a sensitive disposition should note that some of the artwork is rather sexually graphic; you have been warned.
On 15th November 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
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- Official site of the Gunton Arms - theguntonarms.co.uk
- Facebook - Gunton Arms
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Gunton Arms - whatpub.com
North Walsham, 3.9 miles, 1 hr 15 min walk (show)
Roughton Road, 5.17 miles, 1 hr 39 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Car Park : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Darts : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 06 January 2019 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes - Gastropub. - last updated 08 February 2020 by Tris C
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Micropub : No last updated 06 January 2019 by Tris C
- Pinball : No last updated 08 February 2020 by Tris C
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 17 September 2013 by Tris C
- Real Cider : No last updated 24 August 2021 by Blue Scrumpy
