15. Three Tuns - Market Place (Brakspears)

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"I have passed the Three Tuns a couple of times recently (a Saturday lunchtime and early on a Sunday evening) and noticed that the door was shut. This evening (Tuesday before regatta) I decided to visit the Tuns for a beer and it was WEIRD! At first, from the street, I couldn't tell is the pub was open as there seemed to be no lights on, and no one at the bar. I then realised that there were two people in one corner, and that was it - TWO customers at 9 pm in the evening (and on the day before the regatta started). I went in and it was disappointing. The back bar was completely closed and in darkness (no idea if it is now used at all), the front bar felt cold, damp and unwelcoming, and also smelt of wet dog. The beer was VERY pricey, but in reasonable order. What has happened to the Tuns? It used to be one of the busiest pubs in the town, with a good restaurant trade, and now it seems to be drifting, which is a shame as it is in a prime location in Henley and is a pub/building with some great character and history. Could this be the next pub in Henley to close?" - Nick, July 2008

"Went in to the Three Tuns for a quick beer... most odd. Only the front bar was open, and very quiet with only 7 customers present. No sign of the back bar/restaurant having been used, in fact the area behind the fireplace seemed to be full of stacked chairs and cutlery. The 'garden bar' was also in darkness. Maybe the pub is undergoing a refit? The Brakspears was in good order." - Nick, March 2008

"I am trying to track down a chef from the three tuns called Paul who would have worked there in circa 1985-86, his mates were called Loz (laurence, very tall) and H (Henry) ." - Kev, August 2007

"Popped in for a pint over regatta and had a most pleasant evening. It is great being in a smoke-free pub. Beer was good." - Nick, July 2007

"We went here for a meal a year ago and it was fantastic. However, in November 2006, we returned to find it under new management. Upshot - my roast plaice came complete with all its innards intact, and when I cut it open, blood filled the plate. My partner had a cold and tasteless veggie option. The guy serving did his best but was working the bar at the same time. My advice - STAY AWAY" - Mary, December 2006

"I went into The Three Tuns on Henley High St this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised. There was a new landlord who was very nice, and has very friendly staff who made me feel very welcome. The landlord said he was going to turn the pub back into a nice traditional old pub, with a modern twist, with great food. I look forward to many more nights in The Three Tuns." - SM, October 2006

"I have been in the Tuns quite a bit recently. It is a great place to sit and watch the world go by in Henley (I like sitting by the right hand window in the pict. The other weekend I went to the pub and wasn't allowed in the front bar as it 'eating only'. I ask you!? I had the option of going the 'shed' (which used to be known as 'the youth club' years ago) in the back garden for a beer but decided to take my business elsewhere. Walked past the pub the other night and noticed a sign in the window that said that at the end of September the current land lord is moving on. I wonder if the pub is going to become another casualty and close, or if it will continue to be a pub (Henley is getting seriously short of pubs!)." - Nick, August 2006

"Popped in for a beer whilst out Christmas shopping. They now have an interesting and comfortable back bar (you need to go right down passed the loos). The front bar had a very nice fire burning. The beer (they have a very weird beer pump!) was in good order and they manage to get the biggest head I have ever seen on a pint of ordinary." - Nick, December 2004

"I worked in the Three Tuns in Henley for about 8 months in 1986 as full time kitchen/bar staff. At this time the licencees were Jack and Jillian Knowles, (it was a bit like working for Basil & Sybil Faulty). I read with sadness how the pub seems to have fallen on hard times. It was an intersting place for an Aussie on a working holiday to spend some time and Jack & Jillian seemed to love Aussies working in the pub, I heard about them from another friend in Australia. I learned a lot while I was working there. Never in a million years would they have put up with underage drinkers in the Tuns. I think there may have been one police raid while I was working there, and the police went away empty handed. It used to be another pub in the next street, near Franco Belge the baker, the Prince of something, that seemed to attract the kids (they were always being raided).
We did breakfasts (who in that era could forget the 'Big Fry' and the 'Small Fry' and I always remember Jillian's passion for something that as an Aussie I found quite revolting 'salt beef' as well as plowmans lunches and in winter baked potatoes (now theres another story on its own).
Jillian ran a catering company with the wife of the butcher whose shop adjoined the pub. They seemed to cater for Regatta and the Farmborough airshow. They left Henley to go to Northhampton a couple of years after I left to come home.
Today is the 1st January 2004, how is the pub fairing now?" - Ann, January 2004

"After my last visit (see below) I thought I had better pop in to the Tuns to see if they had any beer. When I walked in I thought they still had no beer as I could not see the usual row of beer pumps on the bar. However, the bar has one of the most unusual beer engines I have ever seen. It looks like a coffee maker and the main pump part of the beer engine above the level of the bar. The pub only serves Ordinary Brakspears and it was in good order.
The pub has been converted in to a wine bar with the back bar now a restaurant and the front bar a drinking area containing some seats and tables.
Nice atmosphere and friendly bar staff." - Nick, December 2002

"Popped in for a quick beer as part of a crawl of pubs in Henley. THEY HAD NO BEER!!! What is a pub with no beer? Is this an example of totally irony? A pub named after a type of barrel in which beer can be stored having no beer! Weird!
The pub has been returned to its original layout, that is there is now a back and front bar again. I was also told that the pub is going to be converted in to a wine bar! What a shame.... The loss of another classic town pub." - Nick, November 2002

"Very deceptive pub. It's much bigger than you would think from the outside. We both had a pint of Special at £2.30 which was a little hazy but tasted fine. Lots of interesting bits and pieces around the pub and on the walls. Very cosy. Toilets are down an outside passage which also leads to the beer garden and the Stable Bar which I assume is open in summer." - Ian & Kevin, October 2001

"Oh my god what has happened here! From being the best pub in Henley when Robin had it about four years ago, we returned to Henley to find the Tuns run down ,the beer (only ordinary on) undrinkable and worse than all of this the landlady pissed and swearing at the customers, we will find another local." - Ian , September 2001

"Walked past the other evening and as I had not been in for some time thought I would pop in for a drink. The place hasn't changed much and I had a nice point of ordinary." - Nick, May 2001

"Popped in lunchtime December 1998 and and had a very enjoyable pint of O' Be Joyful" - Nick, December 1998

"Taken over by Brakespear's, who installed their own manager, the pub has not changed. It is still a little scruffy, and the long time chef has absconded to the Old Bell on Bell Street. There seems to be a general move to discourage the juvenile crowd that used to hang around the back. Someone has responded to the change by punching a hole in the wall of the loo." - Bill, February 1998

"Very nice little town pub. Full of charm and character. Another pub that has been 'improved' in recent years with the two front bars being knocked in to one which makes for an odd shaped bar with a very narrow passage way along one side. An additional 'improvement' has been the creation of a bar in the backyard for the 'younger' drinker. (This bar is also referred to as the Youth Hostel!), but this may have now closed down. The pub has recently changed landlords and although it was a bit quiet when I called in there early one evening; the beer was in good order." - Nick, November 1997

"Another poodle and a new landlord, Simon. Robin Gladman has decamped to the Grouse and Claret, Kingwood Common. The beer was excellent, (Brakspear's Special), but the pub looked stripped bare which I always find offputting. Still, a pub is better than no pub." - Vincent, September 1997

"This place is no longer a hang out for kids. The Brewery (Brakspears) took the place back from the tenant who got into trouble with the police because of the kid connection. While he was cleared of all charges, he gave up and moved out. Gone are the game machines and other enticements. According to the brewery the place will now go back to being a regular adult pub." - Bill, September 1997

"The back bar is now quiet and has been for over a year. No kids in there now, just a few locals who know its a place to wind down, play pool and chat. Front bar menu is now shorter and in my view went down when Neil left to work in Freddie Starrs place near Maidenhead." - Jon, April 1997

"Three Tuns landlord, Robin Gladman, has just won his appeal against the revocation of his licence. The Police now plan to appeal against this decision in the High Court despite offering no evidence at the hearing at Oxford Crown Court." - Vincent, March 1997

"Mixed feelings about this one.
Pros: Pretty and quaint. Low ceilings and lots of different bars and sections to 'hide' in or lose people you don't like. Always find someone you know in here. Good food of every description. Lively.
: The landlord is a bit of a odd. Gets really crowded. The stable bar at the back is FULL of 12 year olds drinking diet coke and the loos are always full of 15 year olds in tears saying, 'but I loved him, how could he do this to me?'. Can make you feel very old just being there. They have bouncers and lots of 'Stallones' (Stallones is Henleys only 'night-club' - Ed.) type people go there. As we speak, the chief policeman of Henley is trying to stop the pub's licence from being re-issued because he reckons this is the drugs capital of Europe. Unlikely I'd say!" - Luci, August 1996

"Do not go into the Stable Bar. This is full of 16 year olds in various forms of undress and clothes from the seventies. They also drink coke and cry copiously in the toilets. However, the main bar is not too bad. Food is v. good vfm and clientele is old. Would recommend." - Mary, July 1995