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Saving our Inner-city Pubs

I can bore for Britain when it comes to talking about pubs. My formative drinking years were spent in Shrewsbury. It is known as one of the beer heavens now , just think what it was like then. Most of the pubs have had glorious Victorian/ Edwardian interiors ripped out and mock flavour of the day inserted. Although seemingly over run with pubs it would surprise people just how many have gone in the last 40>50 years. However the Shrewsbury pub model would be very different from the Birmingham City centre one.
The London City pubs appear to be doing well, many of those are old characterful properties which are appreciated as such. I like both Cardiff and Manchester which have loads of pubs in the centers both big and small. Both places can be a little scary on a weekend ( but then so can Worcester ). Young people predominate city centers in the evening and spend like crazy. I must admit to liking city pubs during the day, great places to people watch,but prefers the outskirts in the evening. Most people of my age I speak to have the same fears of towns at night, but you will find the pubs full of us during the day.The closest I get to Birmingham city centre is around the Q.E when my mrs is in residence. Spent some time around Selly Oak, Harbourne, Northfield sometimes the pubs were rough but never felt threatened.
Television is another threat to the pub. Not those plasma screens in pubs which show soundless sports or news channels. The audio typing can be hillarious. Not even MTV the songs of which never match what comes out of the speakers. I am talking about the one at home. My mrs will not go out if Coranation street is on. We either stay at home or wait till its over, by which time I have normally fell asleep.....regards arkrite.
 
Inner City pubs? Look at the Black Eagle in Hockley, it's packed out most of the time and thriving.
Maybe the answer is to kind of "specialise"...real ale pubs are mostly doing oK, the CAMRA crowd keep em going. And good value food is a must...not expensive, not fast food, but good home cooked food at a reasonable price.
Errr.....not that I know ANYTHING about pubs of course:rolleyes:.
 
Arkrite,it's a pub thread,how can you 'bore' by talking about pubs? Talk away my friend,it's why we're all here.Also being a history forum that's why we enjoy talking about the past too.

You're dead right about the centres changing at night,Margate where I live now is a real nightclub centre,nearby Broadstairs being the pub place,lots of older historic pubs,some even have a sembelance of their origional state.

Please continue to share your thoughts,I don't hear any complaints.
 
Charlie said:
Inner City pubs? Look at the Black Eagle in Hockley, it's packed out most of the time and thriving.
Maybe the answer is to kind of "specialise"...real ale pubs are mostly doing oK, the CAMRA crowd keep em going. And good value food is a must...not expensive, not fast food, but good home cooked food at a reasonable price.
Errr.....not that I know ANYTHING about pubs of course:rolleyes:.
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This is a good point,and one I was thinking about when I posted it.

Some,probally the minority have bucked the trend,a fine example in the same area you mention is the Lord Clifden.OK that area is helped by the many new flats built,and used by single young people in the main,prime evening fodder for pubs.But nevertheless lessons must be learnt,and that is not sitting back,but finding out what people want,and giving it to them.

Real ale is a must,and remembering back even to the 90s when big breweries expected us all to accept keg rubbish,as of course we had little choice as they owned most pubs.

Good food,oh yes,pile on those pounds the nice way:D Good pub food,surprising how few pubs do a decent selection at a reasonable price.

People will go out of their way if they know about a place,if it's easy and cheap to get to,if it's pleasant enough to want to spend time in,and if it provides the products they want to spend their hard earned cash on.

Now the bit about you not knowing anything about pubs.....is that because of a bad experience with Courage beers? Certainly enough to force amnesia on the best of us.:D
 
Arkrite said:
Thank You Wessex for those kind words. You have made an old drunk very happy.:grin2:
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Well all we have to do is make you an old drunk in the inner city pubs we're trying to save and the whole point of the thread is achieved.;)

Anyhow thanks for some great input,and sure you've got some more to share.
 
Arkrite said:
Thank You Wessex for those kind words. You have made an old drunk very happy.:grin2:
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I've made many an old drunk very happy Arkrite! :beam:

Wessex: I know nothing about pubs coz I'm a girly...and girlies don't know anything useful about pubs, according to my husband.....unless they go up and buy a round of course.
 
Charlie said:
I've made many an old drunk very happy Arkrite! :beam:

Wessex: I know nothing about pubs coz I'm a girly...and girlies don't know anything useful about pubs, according to my husband.....unless they go up and buy a round of course.
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Girlies used to be very useful in pubs,driving home being amongst the most important.;)

Still as I'm now always sober,and do give lifts,does that make me a girlie?...Dread to think:D
 
Nah ...you're OK Wessex. As long as you buy the alcohol for everyone else, along with your orange juice. That's pretty macho!
 
lol charlie...you know nowt about pubs....???well if thats true;) if you do make it to the bull on the 15th i shall take you to one side and teach you....:D:D:D

lyn:)
 
Astoness said:
lol charlie...you know nowt about pubs....???well if thats true;) if you do make it to the bull on the 15th i shall take you to one side and teach you....:D:D:D

lyn:)
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Don't worry charlie,she's going to take to to one side too....one side of the bar to buy her drinks I expect:D
 
Astoness said:
quite right tim...:D after the week ive had i could use a drink....;);)
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You rang m'lady?:D

Just hope you can get the Faggots without peas.Not partial to 'green things',but love spuds of any sort.Not had good pub grub in years.
Used to eat a lot in the Gun makers 20 years back,but heard they changed the landlord,and things went down.Still the Bull has actually gone up;)

I'll get the ice ready then Lyn?
 
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lol tim...is the gunmakers the one just round from the bull..if it is we popped in there after the bull in feb...very basic..didnt stay long..

by the way mines a bucks fizz please..plenty of ice..

lyn :):)
 
Astoness said:
lol tim...is the gunmakers the one just round from the bull..if it is we popped in there after the bull in feb...very basic..didnt stay long..

by the way mines a bucks fizz please..plenty of ice..

lyn :):)
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Bucks Fizz...so you've been...'making your mind up':D That was so corny...pay me,I'll go away.:P

Gunmakers is very close,so yes you probally tried it.Have heard from a few sources it's gone down.Used to be run by an ex copper,nice well kept house then.
 
I have worked at a few pubs and managed some aswell but in 1992 i brought my lease on a local pub just past measham. when i purchased the lease it was making a loss . only turning over £300 per week and the rent was more than that. We moved in the pub and closed it for 7 days reopened welcomed all the locals and all the new trade who returned to the pub after years . in twelve monthswe increased our weekly turnover to £3500.
as most of you know i only came back from cyprus in may on my return i went to see how the pub was doing and the new landlord told me that since the smoking ban came in his takings have dropped from £5000 to abelow £500 a week. the company have who own the lease have told they will let him out of his agreement if he signs the pub and all it,s contents and bookwork over. they have set up a developer and already got change of use concent.
They are going to knock the pub down if he leaves and build 10 houses on the site. there is part of the pub that dates back to 1300.
by the way all my smoking and no smoking buddies dont go to the pub any more they go around each others house were they can smoke and drink.
This is a shame but i suppose thats life.

Give me back a pub with smoke ,snug,bar and lounge we all know which room will fill.
 
So true Colin,this government puts political correctness before sound economics.
Then add all the hidden costs,and you end up with a choice of a 3 quid pub pint,or a £1 carry out.
 
Its a shame that when you just fancy a pint or 2 after you dinner . if you go to your local pub (or should i say food hall) now the smoke has gone from the pub you can sit at the bar and smell that lovely odour off fish or if you are really lucky you could get the smell of the greasy chips.
NOT NICE WHEN YOUVE ALREADY EATEN AT HOME
 
Food,the future of the pub,provided of course it is no longer a pub lol.
Not many true pubs left now,the future is Weatherspoons,like it or not.
 
Joules have just re furbished a derelict pub in Lichfield and are re opening it as a real ale house. Perhaps the tide is turning
 
Weatherspoons is full of real ale,as is the Lord Clifden,both are also big on the grub.Expect it's the price we have to pay.
 
years ago the licensee WAS the landlord.now its the estate agents own the land..that land can be sold and used for a lot more profit than keeping a pub or club open that only caters for about a dozen people in the week...As some of you know I was steward of the Tally Ho..Some nights i would only have 5 members in ...by shutting us down and just renting the car park the landlords make more money than we did..no good complaining about how many pubs shut if ya dont use them..sorry to go off on one but it is easy to sit at home and moan
 
point taken maggie....i know how upset you were in the way you were ousted from the tally ho...

lyn
 
Thanks for that Lyn..all the members of the forum who turned up for the 60s night,knew what kind of club it was..we could only cater for 100 people..but it was a safe club ..you could leave ya car there and pick it up whenever..but come Thursday Eve i would only have 5 people in and would only take £20 behind the bar..I think a lot of pubs have gone the same way..you can buy 4 cans in the supermarket cheaper than I could sell a pint....pubs like Weatherspoons have got it right..but as I said to Tom tonight 2 pubs close to us have been demolished The Dingle and The Beeches..lovely buildings but we have never been in them..all those moaning about pubs closing DID ya support them
 
i know maggie its a crying shame...i can however think of one pub who not only dosnt sell fancy food but does not sell it at all unless requested for a do and thats the stags head..the only pub on summer lane that is still up and running....it gets quite a bit of trade from the factories around the area and from the old and not so old locals.. has a darts and dominos team..runs very good raffles in aid of different good causes and basically its just a good old fashioned boozer...long may it run i say as they are now becoming a thing of the past...i almost forgot to add that it may not be everyones cup o tea but a pub i for one feel totally comfortable with...

lyn:)
 
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Maggie, my friend worked on the door at The Dingle a number of years ago when a hole was blown in the door with a shotgun. I know quite a few people who go out of town for a drink because of the goons and loonies who wreck everyone elses enjoyment. Personally I don't drink much and never have, but I could sit in a pub and drink a couple of pints of shandy and enjoy the time I was there. What I can't have is idiots who swear loudly in front of my wife, or the other sort who thinks he has the right to push and swagger about without an excuse me. They can't be spoken to because they will want to fight and if you jaw them you will be arrested. Eventually trade drops and because of the clientele there is always trouble and the place close down. There are of course exceptions to this but from what friends running door security firms tell me this is the problem.
 
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