On the demise of the British pub

[struth]

As for the first bit, fair enough (I could sense the irritation in you). In terms of the latter, I shouldn't imagine that'd be the case in the east end, in some of the 'locals' there.

Oh, and trust me, Glasgow pubs also get their fair share of strangers and passing trade - it's not some hillbilly place in the middle of nowhere!

Marco.

ha, some bits of glasgae are very hillbilly Deliverance-esque isnt the word

[Joe]

If I were not in a generous mood I would suggest his post is both ageist and racist. What flag would you expect to see in an Irish pub in London and what accent would you expect Irish drinkers to have. If I were in an Irish pub, I would probably be drinking Guinness on the assumption that they had a trained cellar man who knew how to manage it. The suggestion that an Irish barman would be irritated by someone ordering spirits is ridiculous. I also doubt if any clientele in any London pub would pay any attention to strangers coming in the door unless they were causing a ruckus. This sounds more like some 1960s Hammer Horror scene set in Transylvania than the London I grew up in.

Geoff

Well, re the pub in Brixton, firstly I didn't know it was an Irish pub, (as I said I was unfamiliar with the area) secondly I'm part Irish myself, so my remarks can only be partly racist. The remark about not ordering shorts may actually have been a joke that I didn't get. Re the pub in the first anecdote, I and my mates were in our early 20s. It wasn't a Central London pub, where, as you say, strangers and passing trade would be the norm; it was in a (then) run-down part of East Greenwich, bordering on Charlton. In those days, 40 years or so ago, parts of London were very parochial/insular.

[Marco]

Lol, yes, but I'm talking about the area around the centre, especially the Merchant City. Have you been there recently? It's seriously thriving (no shortage of money being spent) and distinctly cosmopolitan in atmosphere/vibe

In terms of "hillbilly', I'm that sure some parts of the outskirts of London are similar!

Marco.

[struth]

Lol, yes, but I'm talking about the area around the town centre, especially the Merchant City. Have you been there recently? It's seriously thriving (no shortage of money being spent) and distinctly cosmopolitan in atmosphere/vibe

In terms of "hillbilly', I'm that sure some parts of the outskirts of London are similar!

Marco.

yup, just my joke... glasgow city centre is pretty good, and a match for most cities. not been for a while but my brother used to go regularly until recently.

[hifi_dave]

We are fortunate here in NW Essex and Suffolk as there is an excellent pub in almost every village. We are spoilt for choice.

[Roy S]

Nearly all of my 'locals' closed, quite a good thing when they're all like this

http://www.fancyapint.com/Pub/london/alderman/2538

(strangely enough this one's still open..)

[Macca]

Nearly all of my 'locals' closed, quite a good thing when they're all like this

http://www.fancyapint.com/Pub/london/alderman/2538

(strangely enough this one's still open..)

The bloke who reviewed it talks like he's never been in a pub in his life.


As far as taking care of Guinness is concerned you don't have to do anything. It comes in a keg same as the lagers and you just rip the sticker off and plug in. So it makes no difference if the barman is Irish or Chinese.

[Roy S]

The bloke who reviewed it talks like he's never been in a pub in his life.

Spent a lot of time in my late teens at my Uncle's pub in Bow, it was a little rough round the edges but was like the Ritz compared with this s**thole.

[Marco]

This is our main 'local', approx 1.5m walking distance from our front door (there's a slideshow, for pics, or use the cursor keys to scroll forwards or backwards):

http://www.brunningandprice.co.uk/pantyrochain/

Beautiful location, especially during the summer months, together with a superb selection of real ales and food!

Or 500 yards away, there's a reasonably ok Ember Inn (with decent food and real ales): https://www.emberinns.co.uk/national..._campaign=gmb#

There is also a pub literally across the other side of our fence, but the least said about that the better...

Marco.

[Audio Al]

Drink driving laws and smoking ban = Death of pubs