Reign of pub queen Val celebrated in Windsor

In February 2025, pub manager Val marked 29 years’ work for Wetherspoon.

Val took over as pub manager at The King and Castle in 2006, where she is assisted by her two deputy managers, Jasmin and Barbara, both also long-serving staff members.

Val started her Wetherspoon career at The Savoy, joining the team as a bar associate when it first opened in February 1996, working her way up to pub manager there within four years.

Val remembered: “From The Savoy, I moved to The Imperial, where I spent five years as pub manager at what has to be my favourite Wetherspoon pub.

“My time in Exeter was wonderful, at an amazing pub – and the happiest of times for my children and me.

“I then had a very, very brief spell (10 months) as an area manager in the southwest, before moving to The King and Castle.”

The pub’s location, opposite Windsor Castle, sees many visitors from overseas coming through its doors.

The King and Castle has three bars, across four floors of the pub, and a huge garden.

Val, now 60, confirmed: “We have a core regular gang of customers, yet, during the summer especially, we are jam packed full of tourists from all over the world – with our biggest-selling meal being fish and chips.”

Val has two grown-up children, William (36), who previously worked for the company, and Ashlie (26), who is a shift leader at The King and Castle.

She added: “I brought them both up, for the majority of the time, on my own.

“It was tough, but I did it and did it well. I am very proud of them both.”

Deputy manager Jasmin was already a shift manager at The King and Castle when Val arrived. She has worked for Wetherspoon for 22 years, starting at Lloyds No.1 Bar in Slough (no longer a Wetherspoon pub), before moving to Windsor.

Deputy manager Barbara started as a bar associate 18 years ago and worked her way up quickly to management level.

She arrived at The King and Castle in the recruitment drive following the pub’s year-long closure for refurbishment in 2006.

The pub has a core team of staff members, numbering around 30–35 during the winter, rising to 60–70 during the summer months, depending on demand.

Val said: “We have a strong and dedicated core team of staff here, which helps with the new recruits every year. Without them, we just couldn’t do it.”

Val concluded: “I guess at 60, my next step would be to move to a part-time role, before thinking about retirement, but I’ve got a few more years left in me yet.”