The Castle, Walthamstow

Yesterday we were barred from the Castle, our local for the past six years, and where we�d been going regularly with friends, family and just the three of us. Since our son was born nearly three years ago, it�s been a staple for Sunday lunch, as children seem to have been welcome, making up half the numbers sometimes.

We were barred from this self-styled �family friendly� pub because our two-year-old son was fetching a book from the bookshelf, on a very quiet lunchtime, rather than in his seat, in a bizarre, sudden and aggressive tirade from the owner.

We were the second group in on Jubilee bank holiday Monday. Our son saw the owner, cashing up at a window table and wandered over to say hello. Admittedly, not everyone finds this endearing, and the owner just told us to keep him in his seat, as it was a �pub rule�. OK, we�ll try�

Fatally, at our instruction he went to get a book from the bookshelf � presumably provided for us pesky customers � and the owner stormed over, saying he didn�t want children wandering about as it�s �not the sort of pub we want to be�. With no further debate, he told us to: �Piss off and don�t come back�. Adding the blinder: �It�s people like you that are ruining pubs.�

Au contraire. It�s people like us that are keeping his gaff in business. Every weekend lunchtime it�s rammed with young families, paying through the nose for frankly average food, seemingly under the impression it�s as �family friendly� as its marketing blurb suggests. I�m sure they�d be interested to know the landlord�s true feelings on the matter.

If well-behaved children aren�t welcome, perhaps this could be made clearer, rather than policed in a randomly despotic manner. With his attitude, I�m wondering if the �sort of pub he wants it to be� is �empty�.

5 Jun 2012 17:03