The Grantley Arms Wonersh.
The Grantley Arms Wonersh – are you looking for a pub with great food, some fabulous history and even a couple of ghosts kicking about the place? The Grantley Arms Wonersh fits the bill! It’s a fab addition to my Historic Pubs of Surrey list.
Table of Contents
Key Info
As usual on these reviews, we were not paid to do it, we paid for our own food and drink out of our own pockets and the staff had no idea we were reviewing! Therefore, I feel our review is exactly as you would experience when visiting the pub.
I’d read about The Grantley Arms Wonersh, so we thought we’d pop in for lunch. We hadn’t booked a table but they were able to fit us in. We chose a little booth in the bar area as the restaurant was packed with people and a 70th birthday party was also being celebrated judging by the balloons.
Menu
We were presented with the lunchtime menu in double-quick time. Also, I was genuinely impressed with the quickness and level of service we received in this historic old pub. Indeed, within 7 minutes of ordering our food, it had arrived at the table!
Tam, my long-suffering other half and happily the designated driver, went for the Eggs Benedict with avocado and spinach. Asking to swap that for ham, the team at The Grantley Arms Wonersh were very accommodating. So much so, that when it was bought to the table we were asked if it was an allergy as there was a touch of avocado in the dressing.
According to Tam, it was the best Eggs Benedict she’d had in a long time. And the Guacamole base and pesto drizzle gave it an extra punch!
As can be seen above, I went for the Sausage and Mash. Although it is officially listed as Conisbee’s free-range sausages, Colcannon Mash, crispy shallots and onion gravy. I thought the sausages were excellent and were especially pleased that they were free-range. If the sausages had had a good life of wandering the fields and farmyard and enjoying the sun on their little sausagey faces, it made me feel better! Do try them, they are extremely tasty.
We were so impressed we even stayed for dessert. Tam went for the Almond and Apple tart.
Also, they had fair trade chocolate on the dessert menu. I plumped for a small bar of that which I paired with the Rioja. For me personally, a good choice. It tasted like those Mon Cheri chocolates you used to get!
As I mentioned before, the staff were great. We encountered 4 staff during our visit and all very conscientious helpful and caring.
History of the Grantley Arms Wonersh
The Grantley Arms in Wonersh has had a couple of names in its long, nearly 500-year history. About 1687 it was called the Hector Inn. And in 1719 it was known as The George. Probably this was due to the King at the time, George the First. Then it changed back to the Hector. It became The Grantley Arms at some point after 1782.
The pub has changed over the years of course as all these old buildings tend to. Walls added and taken away, windows added then bricked up, doors moved, you know the sort of thing.
The Ghosts of The Grantley Arms Wonersh
Indeed, there is talk of two ghosts at the pub. Firstly, one ghost is said to haunt the restaurant, a lady in grey. Also, another was a traveller staying at the inn who was murdered.
A restaurant customer said that during the war, a ghost would open her bedroom door and pull her bedclothes off. This actually made it into the Surrey Advertiser in the ’50s. Some may believe it while others might blame G.I’s!
Another reported case is that several customers in the bar saw a big Christmas tree thrown across the room. Also, there were some bottles reportedly thrown. Of course, I’m not sure how reliable the witnesses would be. A room full of drinkers may not be the most reliable of witnesses! But, it makes for a great story…
It’s not just the pub either! The weeping tomb at St John the Baptist church, regularly oozed sticky fluid for a couple of weeks in October every year. The crack that this ooze apparently came from was sealed in the 1950s. Undoubtedly, something to put you off your lunch!
How to Get to The Grantley Arms Wonersh – Click on the Map for directions
Conclusions
Happily, at the pub, we didn’t see any ghosts! But we had a great lunch with good service and excellent quality food. This easily makes my Historic Pubs of Surrey list. As I always say, the staff were not aware of our visit so it is an unbiased review. I slipped into the pub, ate and slipped out like the wrinkly ninja that I am.
All prices correct at time of writing.
To reiterate, I don’t do paid reviews and I only include pubs that have something notable about them. However, If you know a pub that you think would make a good addition to this list, for historical or quirky reasons, leave a comment below!
More in my Historic Pubs in Surrey series
Stephan Langton – Friday Street
If you are looking for some Sussex pubs, click the link if you are looking for some Historic Pubs of Sussex
Also, all prices correct at time of publishing.
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