[AlaninCarlisle]

It seems that every week there is a national sob-story about the soaring rate of pub closures. But is this such a social tragedy?

Until my late 30s no evening was complete without a quick nip to the local and a hastily downed two or three pints. Yes I enjoyed the social side of it and the ale doubtlessly helped my sleep pattern. But at what cost? A premature beer-belly that was like a rite of passage, health issues stored up for the future and money that would have been better spent on family matters.

The papers keep telling us that pubs are a vital part of Britain but for every local where two or three pints was the norm there were thousands of urban pubs where getting legless was the norm resulting in violence, unemployment, family feuds and other antisocial behaviour including insufficient family funds for healthy living

What do others think?

[Hampshire Hog]

Personally I think it is a pity when we lose a decent pub.
I have never drunk more than a couple of pints in the past and now only drink non alcoholic beer unless someone else is driving. A pleasant pub with good food is a benefit in the community. The individuals who drink to excess will just buy it at a supermarket at a much reduced price.

[Growster...]

Mrs Growster's Dad and Mum ran a hugely successful pub back in the sixties and early seventies. They worked their socks off, selling not only pints, but the basics for a lunch, like toasted sandwiches, rolls, ploughmans' etc.

They only employed staff on just one night-off a week - Tuesdays - and were always working for twelve hours a day, plus preparing the food every day. It was jolly hard work, and while the eventual financial benefits allowed them to retire to a house locally long after a normal retirement age, the work took its toll, and her Dad popped off far too early, because he'd just spent his whole life at the grindstone, and sadly got the consequences. Luckily her Mum stayed with us for years afterwards!

Mrs Growster and I would always help out at weekends, when I was back down from my London job, and she was always on hand when she wasn't teaching, so we had a happy band of family, making the visitors happy, laughing at the old boys and gals in the bars, and generally having a very social time!

Beer was less than two bob a pint then, sandwiches were 2/6, and the locals - some of whom were casualties from WW1, could enjoy a pint of mild for just a few old pennies, then wander off in their own world.

Pubs nowadays just don't do this.

Chums here will put their oar in, and I can perhaps tell a few more tales of the unexpected...

[Goosegirl]

Depends which sort of pub it is. Our local is The Station and has loads of railwayana in various little rooms, the staff are great and so is the food. There's often a small group of elderly chaps discussing footie or similar and it even has a pub menu for dogs with a little watering station for them. It's the atmosphere though that I really like as you can hear yourself talk and think.

[AlaninCarlisle]

Yes, Goosegirl, we have pubs like that up here. But we also have pubs of the type where, last month I had to ask the bar-woman to turn down the piped music as I was unable to have a conversation with my pal without shouting

[Goosegirl]

That's the last thing you need when you go into a watering hole. Hate the sound of those places.

[Growster...]

Sad but true...

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/pubs-closing-shutting-rate-england-wales-b1107778.html

Even yesterday, I was trying to work out where to go for a twice yearly meet-up with two old school friends, and the list of old haunts closing is just awful...

[AndyRVTR]

Where I live, oop north in Jarrow, was once THE place to be for a great night out boasting 54 pubs within a 2 mile radius. Over the years as habits have changed and transport links improved to the likes of Newcastle, South Shields & Scumberland, people moved on for one reason or another and we've now got 7... two of those are in the process of closing... sad times!!

[Goosegirl]

I have to say that my pet hate is where parents take their toddlers to a pub and let them run around and scream at the top of their voices.

[Hampshire Hog]

I have to say that my pet hate is where parents take their toddlers to a pub and let them run around and scream at the top of their voices.

We took our children to the pub occasionally when they were younger but the pub had a conservatory that was designed for families. The main bars were out of bounds to children. I think that was fair to all.

[Goosegirl]

Like it! I was brought up to have manners both at the table and when in company. My niece-in-law's three children you could take anywhere and they would behave. Pubs should go back to what they used to be i.e. a place for adults to escape and have a good old natter with the landlord. Maybe it's like everything else, anything "new" doesn't last long whereas the old-fashioned values still remain somewhere in the heartlands.

[Growster...]

This morning, I bought eight McEwen's Champion Ales for fourteen quid at Tesco - on one of their Clubcard deals.

They're strong ales, and back in the day when I went to pubs regularly, (usually for business - yes - to meet clients etc.), they're probably too strong for back then as we had to talk sense, but nowadays, it's quality versus quantity, and I cannot face more than two pints at any given time! So, as pubs wouldn't sell the Champion, most of the staff are only there to take your money and dash off to do a text or an email somewhere, I might just as well stay at home with Mrs Growster, in our own garden or conservatory, and carry on our chat there...

Sadly, the days of turning up at The Dog and Duck, and supping several pints with the regulars and the Landlord have all gone now. the landlord/manager is now out in the kitchen, attending to the gourmet offerings, or in Marbella living it up, and the atmosphere is the same as a bus station in London on a wet Sunday night!

Luckily, Mrs Growster and I managed to be around during the best of the pub years, but it ain't the same any more, and sadly, never will be!