The Manor House in Haltwhistle is located just off the Market Square in Haltwhistle, Northumberland. Labelled a Jennings Public House it is in fact leased to Raymond & Kathleen Nicholson. I have been going to this and several other pubs in Haltwhistle for many years but have been getting extremely annoyed at being ripped off in the Manor House.
The Manor House charge one of the dearest pints in the town, £1.80 for a pint of cider so when you can visit other establishments and get exactly the same pint for £1.20 you'd expect them to pull you a full pint, WRONG !! When you visit The Manor they will half-way from pulling the pint stop the process violently to entice gas into the glass. They will then continually move the lever back and front to force more gas into the pint to give it a large head, one problem Cider doesn't have a head and when they use the old style pint glasses, in other words a pint is to the top of the glass, you are losing 10%, in breach of the weights & measures act. If they need to make more money then they should charge £1.90 a pint but give you what you pay for.
I have continually complained to several of the bar staff asking for them to top up the glass, sometimes with an adverse reaction. At the end of the day I am only asking for what I am paying for, and what they are legally obliged to serve. I got an adverse reaction from Harold days before New Years Eve 2003 and surprise surprise I was refused entry on New Years Eve Night to celebrate the New Year with my friends.
They had LOCKED all the doors in the place, but did let other people in after I tried. I tried again and was again refused entry. All because I was asking for my rights, a full pint. So not only were they breaking the law on Weights & Measures but they were breaking the Fire Evacuation laws under the Health & Safety Act, there was no escape from the place. Some of my friends couldn't get out until they unlocked the doors.
I put my complaint in writing to Jennings, initially it was treated with contempt but eventually they sent Brian Naylor out to see me but after a long conversation I am no further forward, the reason being that Mr & Mrs Nicholson hold a long-term lease on the place and they said I should take the matter up with them. I took the matter of short pints up with them and look where that got me. I have asked Brian to get Mr & Mrs Nicholson to contact me but to date I have heard nothing, not surprising considering I have alerted people to their scam, a scam in which my other friends have estimated has cost the drinkers of The Manor House a staggering £30,000 in 2003.