Proper Pubs and lack of them!

Soldato
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How many of you still have proper pubs in your town? And when I say proper pubs I mean non-chain pubs. It's quite sad but they slowly seem to be dying a death.

I grew up boozing in what I would call a proper pub, with a 'public bar' and 'lounge'. It was cheaper to drink in the public bar and you could wear work gear in there, the lounge bar was a few pence more expensive for a pint and no work clothes were allowed. The public bar was almost like a little social club in that you could walk in at any time of day and meet up with someone you knew and enjoy a decent pint. There was a good juke box, a fruit machine and a dart board. The furniture and fittings were mostly wood, copper and brass with oddly un-matching carpets and fabrics that still worked quite well together And of course the beers were well kept by a landlord with a barrel chest, keeper rings and tattooed arms. You didn't mess with him! Now and again a sneaky lock in would allow for a late drink on a friday. If anyone has watched Early Doors you will know what I mean, if you haven't then I suggest you do as it is a great comedy series.

Yesterday I had a great day out with some colleagues from a place I used to work at who all enjoy a pint 'real ale'. This was Grand National day in Liverpool so we were expecting all the boozers to be packed. How wrong we were. We did a crawl of 6 pubs all chosen, for their real ale content, but they were no busier than a usual Saturday. Instead, the hoards of revellers had descended on the identikit bars and pub chains (Revolution, Rat & Parrot, Lloyds etc) in their identikit clothing to drink identikit beers and alcopops from bottles. A bonus in one way but a sad sign of the times in another...

The last pub we went to on our crawl (The Lion on Tithebarn Street, Liverpool if anyone fancies popping in then I recommend you do) had a cracking selection of beers and a small crowd in the public bar. The Lounge bar was a mixture of copper, brass and wood fittings with traditional style nooks and crannies inhabited by couples enjoying a quiet drink. The place even sold their own home made cheese and the barman was happy to recommend cheeses to accompany your beers. We were enjoying a good crack in there with the regulars, one of whom suddenly pulled out a harmonica and just started playing away! This guy was really talented and before long the whole pub was clapping in time and stamping their feet. So spontaneous and fantastic!

It just saddens me that most youngsters now will either have never experienced such pubs or if they went in one just wouldn't appreciate where they are. I am fortunate that my local is a Camra style pub with a roaring log fire in the winter, a great selection of well kept ales and a good crowd. But far too many of these bastions of British culture and heritage are being taken over by corporations.

/Sunday hangover rant over :)
 
When i've been going through liverpool ive noticed remainds of pubs on pretty much every street corner.. even like 4 of them on one road.. back in the day when they were ship building i guess.. all dead now tho
 
I have about 9-10 in my town :), One Weatherspoons, and the rest are all owned by welsh breweries or small time country bumpkin type places.

edit: Saying that the Weatherspoons that's there did take over the "Town Centre" pub though, the one that everyone that works in shop goes too for a liquid lunch. Sadly raking it in I bet.
 
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I have about 9-10 in my town :), One Weatherspoons, and the rest are all owned by welsh breweries or small time country bumpkin type places.

:mad: Death to Wetherspoons! Hate those places. A perfect example of a soulless empty boozer. Once inside one, you could be in any town in the UK and just wouldn't know the difference.

When i've been going through liverpool ive noticed remainds of pubs on pretty much every street corner.. even like 4 of them on one road.. back in the day when they were ship building i guess.. all dead now tho

Yeah, that will be Scotland Road. Used to be loads along there but since it's just a huge busy traffic route now they all slowly died.
 
Non where I am, there are plenty of 'trendy' bars, once of which I work in lol. But there are no real pubs left which is a real shame, because I'm a pub man heh :(.

And I do agree, Weatherspoons is bloody atrocious, I hate that place So much, and really kick up a fuss if any of my mates want to go there lol.
 
Where else did you go, The Ship? Rigbys?

Our tour:

Philharmonic- Not a great range of beers but a nice boozer all the same
Fly in the loaf- Great range of beers, part of the Rigbys group
Roscoe head- Tiny boozer, stocks Jennings Ale a fave of mine
Dr Duncans- Bit of a Cains outlet but good Cains Bitter
Ship and Mitre- The ale pub for me. Great place and selection.
Went to go to Rigbys but it has moved into the Courtyard behind it so swerved it and went to
The Lion- See above :)
 
There is a pub just like you described up the road from me. Where I live there are loads of farms/fields. And the pub is built into an old farm house, with stone walls, old farming equipment for decoration, etc etc :)
 
Not many in the centre, but there a lot about, they just tend to be in the "rougher" areas.

Actually I lie there's tons.

King street has some lovely pubs.

And gold brick house on parkstreet.
 
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Death to Wetherspoons! Hate those places. A perfect example of a soulless empty boozer. Once inside one, you could be in any town in the UK and just wouldn't know the difference.

Agreed. For some reason my local Camra decided to include my local Weatherspoon's in the latest Good Beer Guide, and ignored my other local - a really friendly, cosy and modern Fuller's pub.

I'm consider myself lucky as there's tons of real ale pubs in London I can hit after work.
 
Not been in a pub with a seperate lounge for years, it's a shame.
We have one pub near us called the crown and cushion (M3 J4A) which is our after work boozer, Not a free house, but it's the one around here that seems to have kept itself and the atmosphere feeling like a 'real' pub. Not bad for a few pints after work.
 
Agreed. For some reason my local Camra decided to include my local Weatherspoon's in the latest Good Beer Guide, and ignored my other local - a really friendly, cosy and modern Fuller's pub.

I'm consider myself lucky as there's tons of real ale pubs in London I can hit after work.

They do have good selections of beers in them but they are just horrid horrid 'pubs'.

Can you recommend any in Canary Wharf? I work there regularly but have only ventured into Daveys.
 
I could probably count 15+ within a 15-20min walk of highstreet... All privately owned, 1 chain owned.

The town, which is fairly small... has:

Admirals Landing, The (The Marina)
Beaufort Arms (St. John Street)
Bird In Hand, The (50 Bristol Road)
Black Horse Inn (Rhode Lane)
Blake Arms Hotel (9 Penel Orlieu)
Bridgwater Arms (41 St. Mary Street)
Bridgwater Squib (West Street)
Bristol & Exeter Inn (135 St. John Street)
British Flag, The (Chilton Street)
Bunch Of Grapes (24 St. John Street)
Carnival Inn, The (37 St. Mary Street)
Cobblestones, The (71 Eastover)
Commercial Inn, The (Redgate Street)
Compass Tavern, The (Taunton Road)
Cornhill, The (6-7 Cornhill)
Cross Rifles, The (1 Bath Road)
Crown Inn, The (96 St. John Street)
Crown Inn, The (Nidon Lane)
Crowpill, The (91 Chilton Street)
Duke, The (61 High Street)
Enmore Inn, The (Enmore)
Fountain Inn, The (West Quay)
Gallery, The (54 High Street)
Golden Ball, The (19 High Street)
Great Escape, The (Clare Street)
Green Dragon (84 Friarn Street)
Half Way Inn, The (Weston Zoyland Road)
Hope Inn (Taunton Road)
Horse & Jockey, The (Durleigh Road)
Lime Kiln Inn (Salmon Parade)
Malt Shovel, The (2 Wembdon Road)
Mansion House Inn (32 High Street)
New Foresters (101 St. John Street)
New Market Hotel (Bath Road)
Old Market, The (8 Penel Orlieu)
Pig & Whistle (Parkway)
Pipers Inn, The (Pipers Corner Garage Bath Road)
Quantock Gateway, The (95 Wembdon Road)
Rebels Retreat (20 St. John Street)
Remedies Bar (62 High Street)
River Parrett Inn (11 Salmon Parade)
Rose & Crown, The (19 St. Mary Street)
Sportsman, The (Bath Road)
Three Crowns, The (15 St. Mary Street)
Toby Inn, The (Chilton Polden Hill)
Volunteer Arms (Union Street)
West India House (101 Durleigh Road)
White Hart Hotel (42 Eastover)
White Lion (29 High Street)
Withycutter (Frederick Road)


I think my town has more proper pubs than shops.
 
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My local the Norfolk Arms in Horsham is what i call a "Real Pub", its got seperate lounge and public areas, but both are accessible by anyone. Wood panneling and old and grotty furniture is the the main feature of the place, but it is slowly moving on with the times i.e Plasma TV's showing either Sports or Music Channels. Certainly has that feeling of being a "locals" only pub, but everyone welcome.

Not a free house but certainly one of the cheapest in Horsham!
 
I could probably count 15+ within a 15-20min walk of highstreet... All privately owned, 1 chain owned.

The town, which is fairly small... has:

Admirals Landing, The (The Marina)
Beaufort Arms (St. John Street)
Bird In Hand, The (50 Bristol Road)
Black Horse Inn (Rhode Lane)
Blake Arms Hotel (9 Penel Orlieu)
Bridgwater Arms (41 St. Mary Street)
Bridgwater Squib (West Street)
Bristol & Exeter Inn (135 St. John Street)
British Flag, The (Chilton Street)
Bunch Of Grapes (24 St. John Street)
Carnival Inn, The (37 St. Mary Street)
Cobblestones, The (71 Eastover)
Commercial Inn, The (Redgate Street)
Compass Tavern, The (Taunton Road)
Cornhill, The (6-7 Cornhill)
Cross Rifles, The (1 Bath Road)
Crown Inn, The (96 St. John Street)
Crown Inn, The (Nidon Lane)
Crowpill, The (91 Chilton Street)
Duke, The (61 High Street)
Enmore Inn, The (Enmore)
Fountain Inn, The (West Quay)
Gallery, The (54 High Street)
Golden Ball, The (19 High Street)
Great Escape, The (Clare Street)
Green Dragon (84 Friarn Street)
Half Way Inn, The (Weston Zoyland Road)
Hope Inn (Taunton Road)
Horse & Jockey, The (Durleigh Road)
Lime Kiln Inn (Salmon Parade)
Malt Shovel, The (2 Wembdon Road)
Mansion House Inn (32 High Street)
New Foresters (101 St. John Street)
New Market Hotel (Bath Road)
Old Market, The (8 Penel Orlieu)
Pig & Whistle (Parkway)
Pipers Inn, The (Pipers Corner Garage Bath Road)
Quantock Gateway, The (95 Wembdon Road)
Rebels Retreat (20 St. John Street)
Remedies Bar (62 High Street)
River Parrett Inn (11 Salmon Parade)
Rose & Crown, The (19 St. Mary Street)
Sportsman, The (Bath Road)
Three Crowns, The (15 St. Mary Street)
Toby Inn, The (Chilton Polden Hill)
Volunteer Arms (Union Street)
West India House (101 Durleigh Road)
White Hart Hotel (42 Eastover)
White Lion (29 High Street)
Withycutter (Frederick Road)

WHERE!
 
our local has gone down the pan, drinks are now extortionate, the beers always off the selection is really poor, no pool table, really bad bands and my mates always get told off for swearing!
 
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