Wenns public house

When I was new in the town, I asked the landlady why the name of the pub was Wenns - it has a picture of a sale boat outside, and I wondered if it was the name of the type of boat, or something like that. But I was told no - the original 17th century place was a temperance guest house, run my two sisters by the name of Wenn - hence Wenns:) And although it now sells beer, and doesn't have overnight guests, it's been in the hospitality business to this day!

To some extent you can see the development of the place over the years in the structure - as you enter from the corner of High Street and Saturday Market Place, you come into an upper bar, and this used to be the "snug" - and I've been told that up to about 30 years ago you had to have a tie on before you could be served in this bar! Here there are comfy chairs and tables, and bar stool where the "more mature" people can sit and chat. Off of this is another room with a pool table, and the door to the "smoking area" - although most of the smokers seem to congregate outside the pub, rather than use this.

Down two stairs takes you to the larger bar area, which would have been a separate bar in previous days, and has its own entrance in Saturday Market Place. This is a longer bar, with tables and chairs but also has a few bar stools too. The jukebox is here, and this is the main "congregating" part of the place. When they did food, you ate it at the tables in this area.

Further along you go under some wood beams to an area set up with big trestle tables and benches. This always seems odd to me, but now I know that this used to be a completely different building - a previous owner bought it and extended the bar into it. Here is where the bands set up for live music, and also where the quiz and poker nights happen.

Like all pubs right now, it's struggling - they stopped doing food recently because they were spending more on providing it that it was making. But they have not taken the strategy I see some other places have of shutting on quiet nights. Some days you will go by and see no one in there but the barmaid - and at others there will be a smattering of people there.

I for one would be sad should such an historic part of the community be forced to close, and hope they ride out the current economic storm. Certainly it is a friendly and welcoming place, and something of a centrepiece to Historic Lynn.