An amusingly named pub: the Old New Inn at Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds (southwest Midlands of England)
A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland
A pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries influenced by British culture. A pub which offers lodging may be called an inn or hostelry. In Australia, pubs often bear the name of "Hotel", even though most no longer offer lodging (confusingly, those that do are generally called "Private Hotels"). Bar service is the norm.
Overview[]
In the 1930s the Anglo-French writer Hilaire Belloc penned the following cautionary warning:
- When you have lost your inns drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England!
Public houses are culturally and socially different from other places found elsewhere in the world such as cafés, bars, bierkellers and brewpubs. There are approximately 60,000 public houses in the United Kingdom (UK). In many places, especially in villages, a pub can be the focal point of the community, playing a similar role to the local church in this respect.
Pubs are social places for the sale and consumption of mainly alcoholic beverages, and most public houses offer a wide range of beers, wines, spirits and alcopops. Beer served in a pub can range from pressurised "keg" beer, to "cask-conditioned" real ale beer brewed in the time-honoured fashion. The beer lends most pubs a pleasant, memorable aroma. Often the windows of the pub are of smoked or frosted glass so that the clientele are obscured from the street.
The owner or manager (licensee) of a public house is known as the publican, and may be referred to as "guv" (short for guv'nor, or governor) in some parts of the country. Each pub generally has a crowd of regulars, people who drink there regularly. The pub people visit most often is called their local. In many cases, this will be the pub nearest to their home, but some people choose their local for other reasons: proximity to work, a traditional venue for their friends, the availability of real ale, non-smoking provision (which many pubs don't offer, or offer poorly), or maybe just a pool table.
Colloquialisms for the public house include boozer, the local, watering hole and rub-a-dub-dub (see Cockney Rhyming Slang).
History[]
The inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland have been drinking ale since the Bronze Age, but it was with the arrival of the Romans and the establishment of the Roman road network that the first inns, in which the weary traveller could obtain refreshment, began to appear. By the time the Romans left, the beginnings of the modern pub had been established. They became so commonplace that in 965 King Edgar decreed that there should be no more than one alehouse per village. A traveller in the early Middle Ages could obtain overnight accommodation in monasteries, but later a demand for hostelries grew with the popularity of pilgrimages and travel. The Hostellers of London were granted guild status in 1446 and in 1514 the guild became the Worshipful Company of Innholders.
Traditional English ale was made solely from fermented malt. The practice of adding hops to produce beer was introduced from the Netherlands in the early 15th century. Alehouses would brew their own distinctive ale, but independent breweries began to appear in the late 17th century. By the end of the century almost all beer was brewed by commercial breweries.
The interior of a typical English pub, showing three common features: the bar (left), an old-fashioned fireplace (left of centre), and a modern fruit machine (right)
The 18th century saw a huge growth in the number of drinking establishments, primarily due to the introduction of gin. Gin was brought to England by the Dutch after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and started to become very popular after the government created a market for grain that was unfit to be used in brewing by allowing unlicensed gin production, whilst imposing a heavy duty on all imported spirits. As thousands of gin-shops sprang up all over England, brewers fought back by increasing the number of alehouses. By 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer and because of its cheapness it became popular with the poor. Of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London over half were gin-shops. Beer maintained a healthy reputation as it was often safer to drink ale than water, but the drunkenness and resultant lawlessness created by gin was seen to lead to ruination and degradation of the working classes. The distinction was illustrated by William Hogarth in his engravings Beer Street and Gin Lane. The Gin Act (1736) imposed high taxes on retailers but led to riots in the streets. The prohibitive duty was gradually reduced and finally abolished in 1742. The 1751 Gin Act however was more successful. It forced distillers to sell only to licensed retailers and brought gin-shops under the jurisdiction of local magistrates.
Opening hours[]
Main article: Licensing laws of the United Kingdom
From the middle of the 19th century restrictions began to be placed on the opening hours of licensed premises. These culminated in the Defence of the Realm Act of August 1914, which along with the introduction of rationing, and the censorship of the press also restricted the opening hours of public houses to 12noon–2.30pm and 6.30pm–9.30pm. In recent times the licensing laws have become more relaxed, with pubs allowed to open from 11am (12noon on Sundays) through to 11pm (10.30pm on Sundays).
The Licensing Act 2003, which came into force on November 24, 2005, allows for pubs to apply to the local authority for opening hours of their choice. This has proved controversial, with supporters arguing that it will end the concentration of violence around half past 11, when people must leave the pub, making policing easier. Critics have claimed that these laws will lead to '24-hour Drinking'. By the day before the law came into force, 60 326 establishments had applied for longer hours, and 1 121 had applied for a licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day [1]. However, many argue that few of these establishments will be constantly open. There is some evidence for this in that since 2000, pubs have been able to open for 36 hours straight, from 11am on New Year's Eve, but few if any do. Even before the new Act comes into force, several English cities have already allowed some pubs to extend opening hours to midnight or 1am.
Licensing laws differ in Scotland, and pubs there generally have more flexible opening hours.
Pub games and sports[]
The Pineapple Public House in Lambeth North at night
Numerous traditional games are played in pubs, ranging from the well-known darts and billiards to the more obscure Nine Men's Morris and Ringing the bull. In recent years the game of pool (both the British and American versions) has increased in popularity. For more details on traditional pub games, see Pub games.
Increasingly, more modern games such as video games and slot machines are provided. Many pubs also hold special events, from tournaments of the aforementioned games to karaoke nights to pub quizzes. Some play pop music, or show Football and Rugby on big screen televisions. Despite the wide range of distractions now available in pubs, doing nothing other than drinking remains perfectly acceptable.
Pub food[]
Traditionally pubs in Britain were drinking establishments and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food. They are usually called 'bar snacks'. The usual fare consisted of specialised English snack food such as pork scratchings, pickled eggs, along with crisps and peanuts. If a pub served meals they were usually basic dishes such as a ploughman's lunch. Food has now become much more important as part of a pub's trade and today most pubs serve lunches and dinners (colloquially this is known as pub grub, or in Australia, counter meal or simply countery) in addition to snacks consumed at the bar. Many pubs serve excellent meals which rival the best restaurants and going for a 'pub lunch' can be a real treat. Certain pubs with a focus on quality food have come to be known as gastropubs.
Pub signs[]
The Saracen's Head: a pub sign in Bath, England
In 1393 King Richard II compelled landlords to erect signs outside their premises. The legislation stated "Whosoever shall brew ale in the town with intention of selling it must hang out a sign, otherwise he shall forfeit his ale". In the past, pictures were more useful than the words for identifying the pub, as many of the patrons were illiterate. Many British pubs still have highly decorated signs hanging over their doors. These signs bear the name of the pub, in words and in pictorial representation. If the pub's name refers to real objects or animals, then the picture will usually be a straightforward one; if the pub is named after a person of nobility, then the sign will often bear that person's coat of arms. Some pub signs are in the form of a pictorial pun or rebus. Many of the traditional pub names were chosen in order to provide a memorable pub sign.
Pub names[]
Pubs often have traditional names. Here is a list of categories:
- reflecting local trades: The Mason's Arms, The Foresters
- local sporting activities: The Cricketers, The Fox and Hounds
- a noted individual: The Marquis of Granby, The Lord Nelson
- an historic event: The Trafalgar, The Royal Oak
- alluding amusingly to everyday phrases: The Nowhere Inn Particular, The Dewdrop Inn
- with a royal or aristocratic association: The King's Arms, The King's Head, The Queen Victoria, The Duke of Cambridge
- with the names of two objects which may or may not be complementary: The George and Dragon, The Goat and Compasses, The Rose and Crown.
- with names of tools or products of trades: The Harrow, The Propeller, The Wheatsheaf
- with names of items, particularly animals, that may be part of a coat of arms (heraldic charges): The Red Lion, The Unicorn, The White Bear
- with reference to history of the local area, for example The Strugglers in Lincoln refers to how people being publicly executed by hanging would struggle for air.
A thatched pub (The Williams Arms) at Wrafton, near Braunton, North Devon, England
John Manners, Marquess of Granby (son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland) was a general in the 18th century. He showed a great concern for the welfare of his men upon their retirement and provided funds for many to establish taverns, which were subsequently named after him.
Many names for pubs that appear nonsensical may have come from corruptions of older names or phrases, often producing a visual image to signify the pub. For example, the name The Goat and Compasses is apparently a corrupted version of the phrase "God encompasseth us". These images had particular importance for identifying a pub on signs and other media before literacy became widespread. Another example of a mistaken Pub name is the Oyster Reach pub in Ipswich, England. This pub spent several decades being called the Ostrich, before historians informed the owners of the original name. More possible but uncorroborated corruptions include "The Bag o'nails" (Bacchanals), "Elephant and Castle", (Infanta de Castile) and "The Bull and Mouth", which purportedly celebrates the victory of Henry VIII at "Boulougne Mouth" or Harbour. While these corruptions are amusing there are usually more substantiated explanations available.
Pub chains[]
In recent years a number of pub chains have sprung up which use semi-traditional sounding names (The Rat and Parrot, The Slug and Lettuce, The ... and Firkin) for all of the pubs in the chain. Newly acquired pubs are renamed and many people resent the loss of traditional names. These pubs are often owned by brewing companies and their beer selection is mainly limited to beers from that particular company. However; by law, pubs owned by breweries must allow their landlords the choice of offering at least one alternative beer (known as a guest beer) from another brewery and that beer must be a cask conditioned or bottle-conditioned real-ale.
Campaign for Real Ale[]
A society with a particular interest in the traditional British beers and the preservation of the 'integrity' of the public house is CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. CAMRA were instrumental in lobbying for the 'guest beer law'.
In 1998 there were 60,000 pubs in the United Kingdom (53,200 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland). Perhaps more significant is the overall trend reflected in two other statistics: while the number of licences is up from around 75,000 in the mid-1970s to over 85,000 in 2002 (this included licences for other types of establishment such as restaurants), the number of barrels of beer sold at pubs (and bars) has dropped from over 36 million to less than 24 million during the same period. These statistics reflect the trend in the UK away from drinking at the local pub. (Source: BBPA Statistical Handbook).
Notable British public houses[]
- The Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street, London (formerly a favourite haunt of journalists)
- Dirty Dick's in Bishopsgate, London (an historic London pub)
- The Llandoger Trow in Bristol
- The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (Britain's smallest pub, according to the Guinness Book of Records)
- The Royal Standard of England, Beaconsfield, Bucks. (dating from 1066, claims to be the oldest free house in England. King Charles hid here during the English Civil War, and the pub is named for his flag.)
- The Eagle and Child in Oxford (frequented by The Inklings, a writing circle that included J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis)
- Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham (incorporates a cave and claims to be the oldest pub in the UK)
- Ye Olde White Harte in Kingston upon Hull, the home of 'The Plotting Parlour' where it was decided not to allow King Charles I into the city, supposedly starting the English Civil War in 1642.
- The King's Head, Aylesbury, the oldest pub with a coaching yard in the south of England and one of only two pubs in England run by the National Trust
- The Eagle in Cambridge, the pub in which Francis Crick and James Watson announced that they had "discovered the secret of life" (the structure of DNA). Was also frequented by Alan Turing and friends.
- The Tan Hill Inn in Yorkshire is the highest inn in England (1732ft above sea level). Tan Hill is a high point on the Pennine Way.
- The Drayton Court in Ealing, converted into a pub from a hotel in the 19th Century, has the largest 'beer garden' in London and indeed any city pub in the UK.
- The Crown Liquor Saloon, one of the only pubs in the UK to be owned by the National Trust.
- Canterbury Arms, Large Pub in Ashton Under Lyne, famouse for its large beer garden and hauntings.
- The George, Southwark is famous for being visited by Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare
Pubs in British popular culture[]
All the major soap operas on British television feature a pub, with their 'pub' becoming a household name. The Rovers Return is the pub on Coronation Street, the top British 'soap' broadcast on ITV. The Queen Vic (short for the Queen Victoria) is the pub on EastEnders, the major 'soap' on BBC1, while The Bull in The Archers and the Woolpack on Emmerdale are also central meeting points. The sets of each of the three major television soap operas have been visited by royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II. The centrepiece of each visit was a trip into the Rovers, the Vic or the Woolpack to be offered a drink.
British comedian Al Murray's best-known character is a comic bigot: The Pub Landlord
US president George W. Bush fulfilled his ambition of visiting a 'genuine English pub' during his November 2003 State Visit to the UK when he shared lunch and a pint of non-alcoholic lager with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Dun Cow pub in Sedgefield, County Durham.
Pub music[]
While many pubs now play piped pop music, the Pub has historically been a popular venue for live song. See:
- Oom-pah
- Pub rock
- Pub songs
- Folk music
The pub has also been celebrated in popular music. Examples are "Hurry Up Harry" by the 1970s punk rock act Sham 69, the chorus of which was the chant "We're going down the pub" repeated several times. Another such song is "Two Pints Of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please!" by UK punk band Splodgenessabounds.
As a reaction against piped music, the Quiet Pub Guide was written, telling its readers where to go to avoid piped music.
Theme pubs[]
Pubs that to cater for a niche audience, such as sports fans or Star Trek fans or people of certain nationalities are known as theme pubs. Examples of theme pubs include sports bars, rock pubs, biker pubs and Irish pubs (see below).
Irish public houses[]
O'Donoghue's Pub, Dublin, Ireland
Superficially there is little difference between an Irish pub and its English counterpart. However, closer scrutiny will reveal some differences. There is more live music in an Irish pub, and a customer is more likely to entertain the assembly with a song. The atmosphere in such places is called "craic" or "crack" (a word for fun). In Ireland pubs usually bear the name of the current or a previous owner, e.g. Murphy's or O'Connor's Pub. Famous pubs in Dublin include O'Donoghue's, an Irish music pub in Merrion Row frequented by American tourists, Doheny & Nesbitt, where politicians, journalists and writers drink together, the Horse Shoe Bar in the Shelbourne Hotel, where journalists like Eamon Dunphy are regular drinkers, and The George, Dublin's largest gay pub. Individual pubs are also associated with famous Irish writers and poets such as Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Behan and James Joyce. Famous pubs in Belfast include The National Trust's Crown Liquor Saloon, and the city's oldest bar, McHugh's.
'Irish Pubs' have been opened throughout the world, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, from New York to Frankfurt, Johannesburg to Beijing. Main drinks consumed in Irish pubs include stout or ales like Guinness, Smithwicks and Kilkenny, lagers such as Budweiser, Heineken, Carlsberg and Harp and other spirits like whiskey and Baileys. Alcopops are also becoming popular with the youth market, many of whom no longer drink beverages such as Guinness. Cider is also a drink which is consumed much in the pubs in Ireland with Bulmers (sold as "Magners" outside of the Republic of Ireland to distinguish it from the internationally recognized Hereford cider-makers, H.P. Bulmer and Company, with which it shares a common heritage) being the leading brand. Non-alcoholic drinks are also available. The smoking ban in the Republic has noticeably changed the Irish pub experience; many pubs now offer enclosed and often heated outdoor smoking areas.
Compare with[]
- Bar
- Biergarten (aka Beer garden)
- Cafe
- Coffeehouse
- Inn
- Izakaya
- Kopi tiam, coffee shop
- Restaurant
- Tavern
- Tied house and Free house
==See also== Template:Commons
- Alcoholism
- Beer hall (Bierstube), a German pub
- Best Bar None, award to pubs for responsible vending of alcohol
- Church in a pub
- Celtic pub
- Drunkenness
- Evening Standard Pub of the Year, an annual award in London
- Firkin Brewery
- Hangover
- Pub crawl
- UK topics
References[]
- Beer and Britannia: An Inebriated History of Britain by Peter Haydon (2001, Sutton)
- Beer: The Story of the Pint by Martyn Cornell (2003, Headline)
- Man Walks into a Pub by Pete Brown (2003, MacMillan)
- The English Pub by Michael Jackson (1976, Harper & Row).
External links[]
- Fat Badgers.co.uk — Guide to Pubs in the UK
- One Tour One - Experience The World, Sites, Restaurants, Pubs, Nightlife With Local Tour Guides
- www.pubsquiz.co.ukLarge directory of UK pubs which allows user feedback similarly to Wikipedia
- Wikipubs.org — A wiki of pubs and clubs from around the globe. Note: we are looking for contributors.
- UKcider wiki — A wiki guide to over 420 UK pubs that serve real cider.
- Britishpubguide.com — Free UK pub guide working on the same basis as Wikipedia: add your own information on any pub you like
- pubs.com — Traditional and Historic London pubs
- PubUtopia.com — A community driven UK pubs guide, with ratings and reviews by real customers
- BeerInTheEvening.com — A UK pub listings site featuring maps, pub search, pub ratings, and reviews
- BarCrawl.co.uk — Another UK pub listing site with a pub crawl generator
- List of pub websites
- Man walks into a Pub — A social history of beer drinking
- Passport to the Pub — a guide to British pub etiquette.
- The Pub Landlord (official website for comedian Al Murray)