British Pubs Are Often the Social Focal Point for a Village

The majority of people in Great Britain are drinking a lot less alcohol these days than they used to do. There are a many different reasons for this, these include the fact that it is becoming very expensive to visit the local public house, another is for health reasons, and there is also the undeniable problem that there are many hundreds of pubs closing each and every month.

There used to be a time where a good public bar was a meeting place for people from a local community, and in some cases it still is. I remember a village where there were five pubs and each one had a different community purpose. One was aimed at the quiet drinker, one for darts players, one for people who wanted pub grub, one for music and local bands, and a general drinking place. And there was no rivalry between the landlords.

As more people are living alone these days, the local bar is often their only way of socialising. It is only a few generations ago when a public bar was often being seen as an extension of the family living room, and some local pubs are still like that. As they disappear, a lot of people are being left with nowhere to go. You might think that is not a problem, and they can easily go somewhere else, but if you have been meeting the same people in the same place, on the same evening, for 30 years it is difficult to accept.

The problem is, as these local village pubs close down, a lot of history is lost. And this is social history, as these places have played their part in many villages for hundreds of years. People used to give travel directions by using the names of the pubs. However, as they disappear, or are bought by pub chains that insist on changing their names, these all traditions sink into the deep and distant past,

It will not be long until alcohol advertising is banned completely, and a consequence of that may be that the local public house will not be able to advertise if they are having a special Christmas dinner, or a folk night etc. This will mean that fewer and fewer people will get to know about these fantastic places. It is up to the satisfied regulars to let everybody know how good these hostelries really are.

If you want to spread the good word about your local, why not visit pubutopia.com and let everybody know about it. You might know the history of a public house in your area that has closed down, or has changed names many times, so why not visit pubhistory.org and help them document the history of the great British local.