The Wagon & Horses are back open after the floods

Owners Paul and Carole welcome customers back to the newly refurbished Wagon & Horses on the Quay for a choice of carefully selected wines and ales, fresh wholesome food & live music. The floods may have wreaked havoc on the business but they are now back stronger than ever.

Storm Desmond affected our community in a way that most of Lancaster’s residents have never witnessed. Many of the surrounding towns and villages were devastated, along with numerous businesses in the immediate area.

Here at the Wagon & Horses, we have always experienced minor flooding in the cellar and Saturday the 5th December was no different. By late evening however, the water was rising to an unprecedented level and by the early hours of Sunday morning the cellar was completely submerged and the water also reached the pub, kitchen and toilets. This meant unfortunately that we lost not only immeasurable amounts of stock and electrical equipment from the cellar, but also that everything in the kitchen was contaminated and ruined.

The clean-up began in obvious ways, mopping floors and reducing water levels. When we eventually gained access to the cellar, 48 hours after the initial flooding began, it was heart-breaking to see all our hard-work and normally immaculate work space annihilated by the water. With our usual spirit we trudged on and although progress was slow, we made small steps every day towards re-opening. With an all-new kitchen installed in January, our team of chefs worked hard on a new menu, visiting local suppliers and completing training courses in order to further raise the standard of the food we serve. It was looking hopeful that we would re-open by the end of January, until the news came that our floors would have to be ripped up and replaced due to water damage. This was a major set-back and a real blow to morale, caused more by the fact that we would disappoint customers and cancel yet more bookings.

Eventually, when all the workmen had stopped coming and the cleaning effort was over we could begin to see the skeleton of our pub again. We have so much pride in what we do at the Wagon, so we all worked hard in the last week before re-opening to ensure that we had fully restored our pub to her former glory, ready to welcome customers both old and new. Now fully open and with a brand new menu, we invite everyone to come and experience the new, and we think improved, Wagon and Horses.

3 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT US:

• We have a flat-roof where we grow most of our herbs for the kitchen.
• We have live music every Friday evening, along with ‘Jazz Nights’ on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month.
• We were one of three finalist for Lancashire & Cheshire Life’s ‘Dining Pub of the Year’ in 2015.