Branford Stores, Norwich

marked as closed

I am sure the We Anchor In Hope exists only to ensure that sentences using its name sound grammatically incorrect. As a pub it is a large, plastic, soulless, pub by numbers sort of place that upon first entering has all the appeal and feel of a Hungry Horse. The interior may be spacious but it lacks any real intimacy and the low ceilings make it feel a bit closed in. To one side of the central bar is a pool and darts section and whilst everything is all very neat and tidy, it is oh so dull, formulaic and characterless with discounted regular beers and standard pub grub meals that seemingly fail to attract anyone but the hardiest of locals. For such a sizeable pub, the presence of barely a dozen punters at 9pm on a Saturday night makes for a deathly and hollow ambience. A number of factors go against it; too far away from town to attract the general crowds, too cheap and dull for it to be a decent or credible restaurant and the place doesn't posess enough intrinsic appeal for anyone to justify going out of their way for it. We actually turned up to watch a band (one of the pub's more useful functions) but found the gig cancelled (admittedly not the pubs fault). Instead the multiple TVs were churning out Britain's Got Talent which was sufficient to ensure a quick exit after the swiftest of pints. The beers were the standard keg with Courage Best the only ale (another pump was reversed but it could have been Directors). The staff were friendly enough and I didn't get any general feelings that place would be in any way unwelcoming but there really is so little appeal to be found here that a visit really isn't worthwhile unless there is a specific reason to go.

closed down pub [admin note: marked pub as closed 15/02/2010]

Official site of the Branford Stores - www.branfordarms.com

Official site of the Branford Stores - www.branfordarms.com