When you travel to England you think of visiting museums, cathedrals, castles and colleges as the most outstanding historical places of the country but, have you ever thought that pubs are also a rich source of British history?
Pubs are traditional social places in English-speaking countries where people can drink alcoholic beverages and get together with friends. Almost every town has its own pub with regular clients.
Pubs could be tracked back to the Roman Times when Romans settled down in Britain and built a sophisticated net of roads and Public Houses located in almost every town. One of the first Roman tavern signs was the Bush because vine leaves were rare in Britain.
Later invaders of Britain brewed barley to fix their own beverage and so alehouses were created. They were so popular that Edgar, King of Kent, regulated the size of the drinking vessels to reduce the amount of ale taken from a barrel.
The advent of Christianity didn’t put a stop to drinking and sometimes ales were brewed for Church Festivals. During the Middle Ages alehouses became more popular and with the increase of population, industry and even the Death of Thomas Becket in 1170 in Canterbury Cathedral, lots of travelers and pilgrimages were on the roads and inns run by monks gave shelter and food to the travelers.
By the 12th century pubs got names reflected in simple, religious signs such as the sun, the stars and the cross but later they became influenced by the coat of arms and powerful landowners. The crown is probably one of the most common sign for a pub and most Kings and Queens of the middle-ages shown on pub signs, though the sign was called king, queen, head or arms.
The Red Lion is one of the most common names for a pub since James I and VI of Scotland came to the throne in 1603 and ordered that the heraldic red lion of Scotland be displayed on all-important buildings, including pubs.
As urban life developed, professionals and wealthy people became permanent dwellers of towns so taverns provided them high-quality food, wine and relaxation, turning the inns into place visited only by the poor. By the end of 18th century alehouses sold wine too and taverns had lost their prestige so professionals and wealthy men moved to the gentlemen clubs.
As different transport services were introduced between the most important cities, the coaching inns appeared, giving passengers and coachmen an opportunity to refresh, eat, have fun and feed their horses. Consequently inns became trade places where business developed.
Drunkenness became a serious problem because alcohol was safer than water and so French wines and brandies were banned, giving an opportunity to the rise of gin-shops, where gin was produced cheaply, encouraging people to drink even more.
Although different laws, movements and restrictions on licenses changed the regulations of pubs along their history, pubs still represent a national pastime. There are about 50,000 pubs in UK. where friends and strangers start an informal conversation on a pint.
So, next time you go to Uk don’t forget to drink and eat in a British pub.
© Monica Haydee Di Santi
Monica Haydee Di Santi is an ESL teacher and has a master degree in Linguistics. She has been a teacher and speaker in Chile, Argentina and USA. She’s also a published translator and writer. Her work has been published in Mexico, USA, Hong Kong and India. She’s the author of www.e1-network.com