ENGLISH PUBS (2)

Readers of this blog know that I like English pubs, and I miss them here in Denmark. And not just for their wares. The buildings, the setting, the log fires; and the signs.

Many pubs in England have always had signs; but a statute of Richard II in 1393 made them compulsory. In an age when most people were illiterate, it helped to be able to recognise a picture, particularly if you were already drunk. Many signs reflected the coat of arms of the local lord; the White Hart (Richard's own), the Green Dragon, the Blue Boar, the Greyhound. There are also lots to do with hunting (the Hare and Hounds, the Falcon), agriculture (the Wheatsheaf, the Plough), transport (the Coach and Horses, the Railway Tavern), the sea (the Volunteer, the Ship), and battles (the Trafalgar, the Alma). Plus, of course, royalty (the Victoria, the Rose and Crown).

Nobody is quite sure which is the most common pub name, but beery guesses put it at the Red Lion. However, what is undoubtedly true is that both the shortest and longest pub names are in the town of Stalybridge; Q and The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer.Rifleman Corps Inn. The last is almost guaranteed to cause a dispute in pub cricket, where you score runs for the number of legs in the sign when you speed past in a car. Rifleman suggests a clip to the offside for two, whereas corps, on the other hand ....

Walter Blotscher