The Pleasure Boat Inn.

[Graham47]

I have just seen in the EDP that The Pleasure Boat Inn Hickling has been purchased by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. They plan to refurbish it and reopen again as a pub.

[NorfolkNog]

That sounds good news, should be a good chance that they will keep it as it is. Better than it becoming a burger joint, flats or worse! 

[Gracie]

That is good news, thank you Graham. It's good to know it will be staying as a pub and not turned into housing like so many pubs now days. The views across Hickling Broad are stunning too x

[Graham47]

As a matter of interest, according to the EDP, 

Its purchase includes buildings surrounding the pub, a car park, public toilets and moorings on the staithe.

The trust already owns the adjacent Whispering Reeds boatyard and Hickling Broad Sailing Club.

[MargeandParge]

Thank you. Graham we can't get our boat to it but still one of our favourite spots. If it opens again the old Avon inflatable will  be pumped up. As the advert and Leslie Philips used to say Ding Dong..

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[marshman]

Don't suppose they mean that THEY will open it, but a new tenant might well breathe new life into it.

Trouble is they have strong competition from the Greyhound just down the road

[MauriceMynah]

If run well, the pleasure boat is more than a match for the greyhound.  Bigger car park and nicer views.

[RumPunch]

17 hours ago, Graham47 said:

The trust already owns .......Hickling Broad Sailing Club.

They used to own parts - not all, and not sure these days either

[PaulN]

I read about this on my Google News this morning and so pleased to see that it may reopen. 

The article said that it closed due to a drop in trade, which wasn't helped by so few boats now visiting. Perhaps the Norfolk Wildlife Trust would be a sufficiently respected organisation to lobby the B.A. to dredge the Lower Bure to try and get some more air draught under PH bridge. That is, if the NWT felt so inclined!

[Victoryv]

Not so sure the NWT really welcomes boat traffic.

[CambridgeCabby]

Irrespective of welcoming boat traffic (and I tend to agree with you) it is a good thing that a closed pub is going to be re-opened , I will certainly use my dingy and outboard to pop up when it’s open 

[Victoryv]

Totally agree, though not sure what price we will pay for that, as someone that moors above the bridge the re opening of the Pleasureboat is to be welcomed,

[LizG]

They might realise that navigation is just as important as conservation at last

[Victoryv]

About time somebody did.

[GregAfloat]

I just hope we don't get a repeat of this kind of shenanigans. 

[MargeandParge]

12 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Irrespective of welcoming boat traffic (and I tend to agree with you) it is a good thing that a closed pub is going to be re-opened , I will certainly use my dingy and outboard to pop up when it’s open 

We can go in convoy. Ding Dong  Avon calling 

 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge

[NorfolkNog]

Not sure if this will work 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/wildlife-trust-buys-pub-promote-070759833.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF3N9c2PmXfBN3NVTplSe6BCFgauq_Zu8jr68TcMTAREApB8P-PztAgWVkMJi5yj-QtbTCEte117CM6aHd8P0OogV2ANXhZ5MWlu5tfcaeI09QCJtieaLT2q0bZeEKhVc-6WDAMqx7I_ICQgR3EoBp2gwTJ6lgNJ3y9l90VCrYlV

 

[GregAfloat]

In almost every case with links like that you only need the first part as far as the ".html" or ".php" and you can cut out the ? and anything after it. e.g. https://sg.news.yahoo.com/wildlife-trust-buys-pub-promote-070759833.html

[PaulN]

23 hours ago, NorfolkNog said:

Not sure if this will work 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/wildlife-trust-buys-pub-promote-070759833.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF3N9c2PmXfBN3NVTplSe6BCFgauq_Zu8jr68TcMTAREApB8P-PztAgWVkMJi5yj-QtbTCEte117CM6aHd8P0OogV2ANXhZ5MWlu5tfcaeI09QCJtieaLT2q0bZeEKhVc-6WDAMqx7I_ICQgR3EoBp2gwTJ6lgNJ3y9l90VCrYlV

 

I remember those days as a child, when Prince Phillip stayed at the pub. Not sure that's anything to be proud of for the Norfolk wildlife Trust though. As I remember, by the time he and his party left, there weren't a lot of ducks left! 

[GregAfloat]

18 hours ago, PaulN said:

I remember those days as a child, when Prince Phillip stayed at the pub. Not sure that's anything to be proud of for the Norfolk wildlife Trust though. As I remember, by the time he and his party left, there weren't a lot of ducks left! 

Ah! History! Have you found:
http://www.thepleasureboat.com/history.html

which does mention that event. Once upon a time I had a barter arrangement. I maintained the pub web site, in exchange for a free mooring. When that fell by the wayside, it became a pub DIY job using WIX as the host.

The WIX site is gone. However, most of my old site is still available. Just don't try the "Home" link. It dates from the time sites didn't need to be mobile friendly or have SSL, so you do need to ignore any warnings your browser offers to reach it. It holds up reasonably well on a phone but even on my tablet I need to hold it in landscape mode to see things as intended.

[Turnoar]

As some forumites may have gathered the PB is very close to my heart so I’ll share a bit of history, and aspiration perhaps.

My great grandparents, James (Tubby) and Eliza Turner, were licencees from 1916 to 1922 and subsequently built and lived in Broadholme a stones throw away which was run as a guest house. Here is Eliza in 1962 in the pub garden with her daughter Gwen, my great aunt, and my new born sister, Eliza’s great grand daughter, in Gwen’s arms. Whispering Reeds is the backdrop and still looks very much as was when Dick Chettleburgh and Jack Tusting took it on from Ted Piggin.

 

My great uncle Alfred Amis, who married Gwen, took on the pub from 1935, sadly he passed not long before that photo was taken. Here he is outside by the verandah. Aunty Gwen carried on running the pub until the early 70s. Alfred was the uncle of Sonny Amis who ran the piling, dredging and weed cutting operation out of Potter Heigham. Alfred and Gwen hosted the Duke of Edinburgh and now King Charles for the infamous pillow fight.

The last photo is a Mr Beales and Tubby Turner, didling weeds out of the dyke.

James senior and Eliza’s son James (Jimmy), Gwen’s brother, my grandfather, was an apprentice of Herbert Woods and spent his entire working life there. He was a founder member and the first commodore of Hickling Broad Sailing Club, set up with the support of Gwen and Alfred, and President of the Lady Yacht Club up until his passing almost 30 years ago.

So, where do I fit in, aside of growing up in Hickling, Staithe road, mucking around in the adjoining fruit fields and going sailing with my grandads customers, joining the sailing club, I also worked in the PB for a couple of seasons having followed the manager of the Potter’ Bridge Hotel there in 1990, Andy Haylett who did a decade there sadly unacknowledged on the county pubs website, but not forgotten.

I hope the NWT restore to its former glory and I look forward to its reopening, I’m sure the village is supportive of both the Greyhound and the PB as they always used to operate in harmony, the recent pop up bar was very popular with locals who appreciate the setting and vista.

Here’s to the next chapter, and it’s good luck to the new management whoever they may be.