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Lancashire's Historic Pubs (eBook)

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eBook Download: EPUB
2006 | 1. Auflage
144 Seiten
The History Press (Verlag)
978-0-7509-5435-8 (ISBN)

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Lancashire's Historic Pubs -  Peter Thomas
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If you enjoy the occasional pub meal, a drink at the bar, or if you're interested in Lancashire's social history, you're sure to find something entertaining in Peter Thomas's introduction to the county's pubs. It opens with a round-up of the history of brewing, pubs and ale-selling, and a section on Lancashire's pub signs, though most of the book is dedicated to an A-Z of over fifty of the most interesting inns. Their history, architecture, ghosts and associated legends are all featured, as well as the exploits of their famous and infamous landlords and landladies. Peter's exhaustive research has resulted in a gem of a book which brings together the proud history, traditions and customs associated with Lancashire hostelries; from ale tasting at the Plough at Eaves to the Britannia Coconut Dancers at the Crown Inn at Bacup. A fascinating journey, with plenty of refreshment stops along the way, this will appeal to anyone with an interest in local history, and those who'd like to know more about the convival surroundings in which they might enjoy a pint.

INTRODUCTION

The pub is so much part of our tradition that, like the village green or the marketplace, it seems to have been with us throughout our history. Yet it was not always as it is now, neither was it originally called a public house; today’s ‘local’, however small, is licensed and regulated, a far cry from the early drinking houses where home-brewed ale was sold.

Scraps of evidence tell us that barley was being grown in England long before the Romans came; their writers suggest that an intoxicating drink was already being produced here through the soaking of grain. How much earlier is difficult to say, but one can imagine that the knowledge of how to brew and the attractive product would have been eagerly passed on. This would, of course, have been a domestic brew consumed at home; perhaps if there was a surplus it was bartered or sold.

The Roman tabernae, or drinking places, in their settlements and along the many miles of Roman roads, mark the first use of the word ‘tavern’ that we can recognise in our day. The Romans distinguished these premises with a bunch of vine leaves outside; wine was the most common drink, although ale was sold as well. Apart from this, we have the voice of the Christian Church condemning drunkenness to tell us that there was much excessive drinking. In the eighteenth century the Archbishop of York ruled that priests should not eat or drink in taverns.

The so-called Dark Ages and the reigns of Saxon kings saw the establishment of ale-houses and taverns that was to lead to today’s public houses. The number grew rapidly, selling mostly home-brewed ale and mostly run by women, known as brewsters or ale-wives.

By the 1300s ale selling was still on a very small scale. We can safely conclude that the accommodation was only the ale-house kitchen and the only facility a warm fire. Because of the limitations, most sales must have been off the premises. Because there was so much poverty it was very likely that some ale-wives were driven to brewing and selling ale from necessity; they could possibly earn a little at harvest time, or when the price of barley made brewing worth while.

With an increase in the population and better wages, a rising demand gave ale-houses selling a good ale an opportunity to grow; food and social activities began to be offered, especially in towns. To mark these permanent ale-houses the use of ale-stakes – a pole with a bush at the end – became common and was soon made a requirement. In the 1400s the official licensing of ale-houses was introduced. By then the pattern of England’s drinking houses was becoming clear:

Inns These were the smallest in number, but largest in size, with the best standard of accommodation and widest range of food and drink. When coach travel brought passengers who needed overnight accommodation, it was the inns that provided it and offered stabling for horses. These coaching inns are easily recognised even today; an example is the Coach & Horses at Whitefield.

Inns became the focus for the social life of wealthy residents. They were the venues for balls and assemblies so beloved of Jane Austen’s characters, and places where the local hunt would meet. Their size (often the largest building in the area after the church) made them suitable for business and council meetings; their locations encouraged their use by carriers for collections and deliveries. Their courtyards, stables and outbuildings made excellent commercial sense. Because of their quality, style and size, many of them were able to continue, successfully retaining their traditional role as inns. Others, aspiring to higher things, adopted the title ‘hotel’. Either way, this was the quality end of the market.

Taverns Lower down the social order and providing drinking facilities for upper-middle-class customers, taverns sold wine and basic food, but rarely offered accommodation. Once the railways had arrived the place of taverns in the scheme of things would be clearer with neighbouring establishments known respectively as the Station Hotel and the Station Tavern.

Taverns had a good deal of competition from higher-quality ale-houses and from coffee-houses in their age of popularity; eventually numbers began to fall and they began to lose a separate identity. By 1800 few taverns could be distinguished from ale-houses.

By the eighteenth century there was little difference between smaller inns, taverns and ale-houses. At the same time a new name began to cover most of this group: the ‘public house’, possibly through some sort of recognition of its place as a ‘public ale-house’. This would have acknowledged its uniqueness as a private home, yet open to the public for the sale of ale. From the earlier, primitive one room and fire, many pubs, especially in towns, provided a parlour and a bar, vault or taproom. Social activities now increased, both in the pub and outside.

Ale-houses and early pubs had a very limited range of drinks, mainly ale, although cider and perry, for example, were available in districts in the west of England. The introduction of hopped beer from Flanders altered all that; the first recorded beer import was in 1400 in Sussex and its popularity quickly spread, particularly in the south. By 1600 beer had replaced ale in most pubs; the introduction of hops to the usual brewing ingredients of water, malt and yeast allowed a wide variety of flavours and strengths to be produced.

The brewing of beer was well suited to large-scale production, encouraging commercial brewing and giving a cheaper product. In the north, ale-house keepers continued to make their own drink for longer than in the south, but change was bound to come, not least because in its keeping properties beer had a longer product life than ale. In later years an unusually large quantity of hops was used for beer brewed for export: IPA (India Pale Ale) was a beer brewed in this way especially to take advantage of the preservative effect of the hops. Greene King Brewery had in mind the long sea voyage to India, where in the days of empire there was a big British expatriate market and a strong thirst! Eventually only the lightly hopped drink continued to be called ale, while the more heavily hopped version was called beer. There is no such distinction today.

Pub signs and their meaning

We have seen how a bunch of vine leaves or an ale-stake was once a sign denoting a drinking place. This was not only a convenience for travellers, but ensured that the premises were visited by the official ale-taster or ale-conner, whose duty was to test the quality and price of ale sold there. An ale-garland in the form of a wreath of flowers was added when a new brew needed the ale-conner’s inspection.

Ale-house windows were often covered by lattice work or trellis, usually painted red: going back as far as the days of Elizabeth I these were a clear sign of an ale-house, but have long since ceased to be used for the purpose.

As the number of ale-houses increased, so the need to distinguish one from another for reasons of competition became stronger. From the simplest painted sign fixed to the front wall to elaborate hanging signs sometimes mounted in patterned wrought iron, the range is enormous. In medieval times and earlier few people were literate, so the name of the landlord or the ale-house on the sign would have been of little help; the reason for many of the ale-houses’ chosen names is often obscure, but a fascinating study.

The most common names and signs today are thought to be: Red Lion, Rose and Crown (or Crown) and Royal Oak. At the White Bull at Ribchester there is a reproduction white bull prominently displayed high up in addition to a painted hanging sign, while a bunch of grapes on the front of the Swan and Royal at Clitheroe is a reminder of the vine leaves once used to mark drinking houses and the quality of the drink sold there.

Sad to say, very few examples remain of the spectacular ‘gallows’ signs that once stretched right across the road like football posts and crossbar. One by one they were demolished because of the expense of maintenance and the danger to passers-by. The most remarkable was that at the White Hart, Scole, now the Scole Inn, near Diss in Norfolk, erected in 1655 and held to be ‘the noblest signe-post’ in the country.

A fine survivor is at Barley on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border where at the Fox & Hounds a beam crossing the road carries on it the hunt in silhouette, showing the huntsmen closing in on the fox. Another once thought lost for ever has recently been replaced after a long fight. Brought down by a high-sided vehicle, the Magpie sign that crossed the A140 Norwich road at Stonham in Suffolk is back in all its glory; some of us may recall that the original carried the Brewery’s name ‘Tolly’ below the bird. Such is everyone’s satisfaction and pleasure in a battle won, the replacement Magpie alone on its new beam has been welcomed back unreservedly.

No mistaking the White Hart at Scole, near Diss in Norfolk, now the Scole Inn! The landlord must have been desperate to impress his guests to have been willing to pay £1,000 in 1655 for this elaborate sign. The whole structure is loaded with extravagant carving and has twenty-five life-size figures; in the centre of the arch is the white hart from which the inn originally took its name. The present sign is handsome and hangs over the road, but was far less costly.

The Magpie sign at Stonham in Suffolk is more basic than that at Scole, but is well loved locally. The pub and sign photograph well together, but patience is needed to capture a good moment and care as well, as the A140 traffic moves fast.

Ale-tasting: the tradition...

Erscheint lt. Verlag 18.5.2006
Verlagsort London
Sprache englisch
Themenwelt Sachbuch/Ratgeber Geschichte / Politik Regional- / Landesgeschichte
Sachbuch/Ratgeber Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie Lebenshilfe / Lebensführung
Reisen Hotel- / Restaurantführer
Geisteswissenschaften Geschichte
ISBN-10 0-7509-5435-3 / 0750954353
ISBN-13 978-0-7509-5435-8 / 9780750954358
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