Source: AFP
They have served Roman soldiers, knights and poets and have been a gathering place for communities to enjoy a drink by a crackling fire for centuries.
Now many of Britain’s pubs are calling it “last orders” for good due to rising costs and as people adopt healthier alcohol-free lifestyles.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an industry body, said the number of pubs has fallen from 60,800 in 2000 to 45,800 in 2022.
The trend continued this year as high inflation, energy bills and business rates cut into ever-increasing profits.
Altus Group, a commercial property analyst that tracks pub closures, says 386 pubs in England and Wales will close in 2022.
Almost the same number again (383) were demolished or converted to other types of use in the first six months of this year alone.
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The BBPA reckons 2024 will be “crucial” for the industry, which supports around 936,000 jobs, and wants cuts to beer duty, business rates and sales tax.
Social historian Paul Jennings, who has written extensively about British pubs, is not surprised that so many call it “time”.
“People are drinking less, as there are many other ways to spend their free time and money,” he told AFP.
“A lot of people go to the supermarket and drink at home, paying less than in a pub.”
Slum clearance
The rate of pub closures first accelerated in the 1800s and early 1900s when high levels of alcohol consumption and public drunkenness sparked the temperance movement.
Source: AFP
The religious and social movement, which fought against the recreational use and sale of alcoholic beverages, won the support of the government.
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By the end of the 19th century, it is estimated that around one in 10 adults avoided alcohol and noisy public houses.
The next major blow came after the Housing Act of 1930, which required local councils to demolish slums, leading to the demolition of many street corner ‘places’.
Just last year, planners were allowed to demolish the 200-year-old Still and Star opposite Aldgate tube station in London, despite a campaign by the Victorian Society.
Described by the heritage agency as “one of the last surviving vestiges of the City of London’s working-class past”, it has now made way for a new high-rise office building.
“Hopefully at some point the decline will stabilize as we approach the minimum number of pubs needed to meet demand in each area,” said Nick Fish, head of statistics at the BBPA.
Other factors contributing to the closures include England’s indoor smoking ban imposed in 2007, high beer tax rates and discount alcohol sales from supermarkets, as well as closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Conservation efforts
Efforts are being made to preserve Britain’s pub culture, which stretches back 2,000 years to Roman times, when wine-serving ‘tabernae’ were created to quench the thirst of soldiers and travellers.
Source: AFP
The National Trust has taken over 39 pubs and inns in Britain, including the George Inn in south London.
The current building dates back to 1676. It is said to have been frequented by Charles Dickens and featured in his novel ‘Little Dorrit’.
Despite the closure, pubs and pub culture are still attractive, particularly to tourists.
“A pub may need to modify the way it (adapts) to the changing world around it, but there will always be a place in society for a classic British pub,” said John Warland, director of Liquid History Tours, which offers exclusive pub tours. of London.
“What would London be without them?”
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For Historic England, another heritage operator, pubs have always had to adapt to the changing tastes of their changing clientele, from wine-drinking Romans to honey-drinking Vikings to beer-drinking locals.
Food and drink writer Pete Brown says many pubs are owned by property companies, who will happily sell if they think they can make more money by building a supermarket or block of flats.
Source: AFP
But Brown, author of “Man Walks into a Pub: A Sociable History of Beer,” still has a sense of optimism.
“Pubs will never completely disappear,” he said. “They are part of the British identity. We’re just going to have less.”
Source: AFP