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Here one of our team has expressed his view on the new arrangements at the Bunghole, remarking upon the 30 inch tables.

If I recall correctly, the standard table in the pre-refit Bunghole was 30 inches squared but there were some false table tops that could be fitted over the top of these to give larger tables and this is what we used to use.

JDAW - was the new manager (Jo, I think it was) at TBH when you visited? If not, should we arrange for a delegation from TPF to attend and vet the premises with Jo in attendance?

Below are some pictures of the re-furbished Bung Hole, following a surprise visit by me at 10am this morning.

Where the till was.

Looking from the ‘till’; the old table 6 is in the far right; to get to the old Function Room take a few paces forward and turn left.

Ah

The old table 6 is straight ahead. That wall has become a serious of rooms, glass-doored, that can be small six- to eight-people rooms, or joined into fewer a larger rooms.

Rooms in that wall of rooms.

In the wall of rooms, the television is in the room nearest the kitchen (and on the wall nearest the kitchen).

The location of the old table 6.

Oh

The old Function Room table was about 40″, allowing two A4 pages (each 11.7″) and about 8.3″ each side for TN taking, food, stuff. The new tables are 29½″!

The old bar area, the entrance to the toilets being behind this view.

Looking towards the new, much smaller, 29½″-table Function Room (the interior of which I forgot to photograph).

Upstairs

Umm

The best room for us is the ‘television room’ (for lack of a better name). Swing the glass against the wall, and double up the tables for a total of 59″ width, with four people each side. For eight, excellent. For ten, a squeeze.

The Ramos Pinto vertical has just become 11, so Woolgate.

jdaw1 wrote:Looking towards the new, much smaller, 29½″-table Function Room

Has the room itself become more narrow as well as the table being smaller, or is the room the same size with a smaller table? The latter could be worked around provided a few more of the "smaller" tables were available...

flash_uk wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:Looking towards the new, much smaller, 29½″-table Function Room

Has the room itself become more narrow as well as the table being smaller, or is the room the same size with a smaller table? The latter could be worked around provided a few more of the "smaller" tables were available...

Rooms against the wall 9′ at widest, though tapering slightly; and I didn’t measure the taper. Old Function Room smaller in both dimensions, though I didn’t measure it.

AHB wrote:JDAW - was the new manager (Jo, I think it was) at TBH when you visited? If not, should we arrange for a delegation from TPF to attend and vet the premises with Jo in attendance?

Amy was there, and was as busy as a restaurant manager on a Tuesday whose restaurant is to open that Friday.

jdaw1, by email to The Bung Hole, wrote:When you have less of a mountain to climb we will re-visit for a small tasting, to re-think and re-decide whether it would still be possible to do medium to large tastings in Holborn. Pre-refurbishment, it was good for us and good for Davy’s. I hope we can find a way to continue to give you our custom.

FYI, I will be attending the opening on Friday 17^th October, and will have a camera. Obviously I need to photograph and measure the new Function Room. What else?

jdaw1 wrote:FYI, I will be attending the opening on Friday 17^th October, and will have a camera. Obviously I need to photograph and measure the new Function Room. What else?

Amy?

More seriously, I am interested to know whether the wall of rooms could be easily opened up and interconnected to become one long room that might be capable of accommodating 14 of us for drinks (working on the assumption that we would be able to eat at a separate table).

AHB wrote:I am interested to know whether the wall of rooms could be easily opened up and interconnected to become one long room that might be capable of accommodating 14 of us for drinks (working on the assumption that we would be able to eat at a separate table).

Those rooms can be joined together. The problem is that all the tables are 29½″ wide, and the rooms are too narrow for a lengthwise double-table (“9′ at widest, though tapering slightly”).

jdaw1 wrote:

AHB wrote:I am interested to know whether the wall of rooms could be easily opened up and interconnected to become one long room that might be capable of accommodating 14 of us for drinks (working on the assumption that we would be able to eat at a separate table).

Those rooms can be joined together. The problem is that all the tables are 29½″ wide, and the rooms are too narrow for a lengthwise double-table (“9′ at widest, though tapering slightly”).

29" could perhaps just accommodate multiple portrait sheets of A4 per person, assuming eating elsewhere? ~12"x2 for the pages with 2-3" between opposite sides and 1" from edge of table; getting very close to edge of table though...

Additional to check/ask:
- is each "room" fully enclosed, or it is more like partitions (with gaps of any kind)
- can temperature of the room still be controlled separately from main area?
- can music volume/off be controlled separately from main area?
- what time do they plan to be open until in the evening on a weekday?

PhilW wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:

AHB wrote:I am interested to know whether the wall of rooms could be easily opened up and interconnected to become one long room that might be capable of accommodating 14 of us for drinks (working on the assumption that we would be able to eat at a separate table).

Those rooms can be joined together. The problem is that all the tables are 29½″ wide, and the rooms are too narrow for a lengthwise double-table (“9′ at widest, though tapering slightly”).

29" could perhaps just accommodate multiple portrait sheets of A4 per person, assuming eating elsewhere? ~12"x2 for the pages with 2-3" between opposite sides and 1" from edge of table; getting very close to edge of table though...

Additional to check/ask:
- is each "room" fully enclosed, or it is more like partitions (with gaps of any kind)
- can temperature of the room still be controlled separately from main area?
- can music volume/off be controlled separately from main area?
- what time do they plan to be open until in the evening on a weekday?

Looking at the the pictures of the partition rooms, looks like the partitions don't fully seal the "room" as they are open at the top and not to the ceiling, so likely to be some noise from the rest of the area, plus music, temperature will be as in the main area.

PhilW wrote:29" could perhaps just accommodate multiple portrait sheets of A4 per person, assuming eating elsewhere? ~12"x2 for the pages with 2-3" between opposite sides and 1" from edge of table; getting very close to edge of table though...

Yes, it could, once. But you wouldn’t want that a second time — just too tight.

PhilW wrote:- is each "room" fully enclosed, or it is more like partitions (with gaps of any kind)

Not enclosed. IIRC, gaps at the top of about half a foot.

PhilW wrote:- can temperature of the room still be controlled separately from main area?

Hence no.

PhilW wrote:- can music volume/off be controlled separately from main area?

No.

PhilW wrote:- what time do they plan to be open until in the evening on a weekday?

Didn’t ask.

I went to the opening party (all very splendid, pictures to follow) and met James Davy. He was shown some pages of placemats from April’s Flight of 1966 (review), and I demonstrated the problem with 75cm tables versus ≥100cm.

Picture for James Davy:


James Davy suggested that we try the Board Room in Davy’s at St James’s (just opposite Christie’s), and said that he will email me on the subject. As much as is allowed, I will quote in this thread.

jdaw1 wrote:I went to the opening party (all very splendid, pictures to follow) and met James Davy.

I understand from an aquaintance that James and I have in common that James is something of a Port fan. Did you invite him to join us at one of our events?

jdaw1 wrote:James Davy suggested that we try the Board Room in Davy’s at St James’s (just opposite Christie’s), and said that he will email me on the subject. As much as is allowed, I will quote in this thread.

That would be absolutely splendid for me. Very convenient for Waterloo or for staying overnight.

AHB wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:I went to the opening party (all very splendid, pictures to follow) and met James Davy.

I understand from an aquaintance that James and I have in common that James is something of a Port fan. Did you invite him to join us at one of our events?

Most definitely. I even mentioned that one of our number owns a Davy’s 1912, and would like an excuse to open it. The under-bidder (inevitably) looked keen.

AHB wrote:

jdaw1 wrote:James Davy suggested that we try the Board Room in Davy’s at St James’s (just opposite Christie’s), and said that he will email me on the subject. As much as is allowed, I will quote in this thread.

That would be absolutely splendid for me. Very convenient for Waterloo or for staying overnight.

Splendid.

It should also be mentioned that the rooms against the wall are currently known as “Private Dining 1”, “Private Dining 2”, “Private Dining 3”, and — ooh, missus, the suspense — “Private Dining 4”. They will become known, in an order that nobody could then remember, as “Rhone”, “Alsace”, and two names of the same type that I have forgotten.

The former function room. Note the chandeliers, and the reduced space.




The tape measure is metric, and 75cm ≈ 29½″.

Some pictures from the room against the wall.

What a shame. These 'rooms' are rather spartan. And the smaller tables etc seem so unnecessary. I'm not really sure how this has improved the space at all. But as AHB has said St. James's would be very convenient (much more so than Woolgate).

EDIT: the Club Room at St. James's looks very agreeable. Could a researcher visit?

djewesbury wrote:What a shame. These 'rooms' are rather spartan. And the smaller tables etc seem so unnecessary. I'm not really sure how this has improved the space at all. But as AHB has said St. James's would be very convenient (much more so than Woolgate).

EDIT: the Club Room at St. James's looks very agreeable. Could a researcher visit?

Some of the Spartan look might be a dark room with a bright camera flash.

James Davy said that he will email me. Let me start there — but yes, I will visit St James’s.

Some bottles for sale (the G00 is magnum):

jdaw1 wrote:I’ll check my photographs