Ferry House
Ferry RoadSurlingham
NR14 7AR
See more about this pub on WhatPub, CAMRA's national pub guide.
A rambling old characterful riverside country inn which is very popular with boaters during the summer months. The spacious interior has a large brick fireplace in the centre of the room. Three cask ales always available plus an occasional guest in high summer. High quality home cooked food available all day from midday, and they will open for breakfast if asked. There's a quiz night every Friday, and live folk every first Sunday.
The Ferry was founded in 1725, which makes it one of the oldest pubs in the area. Said to have ice storage facilities in the 1700s, it used to supply coastal fish merchants. It was used as a coal depot and as a courthouse for collection of tithes in the 1800s.
The ferry operation ended here in 1939 following a collision with a coaster.
Long serving landlord Herbert Whitmore (Simon) died in April 2001, aged 93. After that a series of landlords on short leases ran the pub and it became run-down and closed for periods until Sonia, the present landlady, took over in 2008.
The pub is said to have a ghost – a man with a dog and there is a tradition that if you left a half a pint of beer in the pub overnight then it would be gone in the morning.
The Ferry is one of the last places in the area where you can see the sunset, and it makes a perfect spot to watch the geese flying over in the evening.