British pubs

    In 1393 King Richard II compelled landlords to erect signs outside their premises. The legislation stated “Whosoever shall brew ale in the town with intention of selling it must hang out a sign, otherwise he shall forfeit his ale.” This was in order to make alehouses easily visible to passing inspectors, borough ale tasters, who would decide the quality of the ale they provided. William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, was one such inspector.

    Another important factor was that during the Middle Ages a large proportion of the population would have been illiterate and so pictures on a sign were more useful than words as a means of identifying a public house. For this reason there was often no reason to write the establishment’s name on the sign and inns opened without a formal written name, the name being derived later from the illustration on the public house’s sign.

    The earliest signs were often not painted but consisted, for example, of paraphernalia connected with the brewing process such as bunches of hops or brewing implements, which were suspended above the door of the public house. In some cases local nicknames, farming terms and puns were also used. Local events were also often commemorated in pub signs. Simple natural or religious symbols such as ‘The Sun’, ‘The Star’ and ‘The Cross’ were also incorporated into pub signs, sometimes being adapted to incorporate elements of the heraldry (e.g. the coat of arms) of the local lords who owned the lands upon which the public house stood. Some pubs also have Latin inscriptions.

    Other subjects that lent themselves to visual depiction included the name of battles (e.g. Trafalgar), explorers, local notables, discoveries, sporting heroes and members of the royal family. Some pub signs are in the form of a pictorial pun or rebus. For example, a pub in Crowborough, East Sussex called The Crow and Gate has an image of a crow with gates as wings.

    Most British pubs still have decorated signs hanging over their doors, and these retain their original function of enabling the identification of the public house. Today’s pub signs almost always bear the name of the pub, both in words and in pictorial representation. The more remote country pubs often have stand-alone signs directing potential customers to their door. 
 
 

    V.Names 
 

    Pub names are used to identify and differentiate each public house. Modern names are sometimes a marketing ploy or attempt to create ‘brand awareness’, frequently using a comic theme thought to be memorable, Slug and Lettuce for a pub chain being an example. Interesting origins are not confined to old or traditional names, however. Names and their origins can be broken up into a relatively small number of categories.

    As many public houses are centuries old, many of their early customers were unable to read, and pictorial signs could be readily asagnaed when lettering and words could not be read.

    Pubs often have traditional names. A common name is the “Marquis of Granby”. These pubs were named after John Manners, Marquess of Granby, who was the son of John Manners, 3^rd Duke of Rutland and a general in the 18^th century British Army. He showed a great concern for the welfare of his men, and on their retirement, provided funds for many of them to establish taverns, which were subsequently named after him. All public houses granted their license in 1780 were called the Royal George, after King George III, and the twentieth anniversary of his coronation.

    Many names for pubs that appear nonsensical may have come from corruptions of old slogans or phrases, such as “The Bag o’Nails” (Bacchanals), “The Goat and Compasses” (God Encompasseth Us), “The Cat and the Fiddle” (Caton Fidèle) and “The Bull and Bush”, which purportedly celebrates the victory of Henry VIII at “Boulogne Bouche” or Boulogne-sur-Mer Harbour. 

    VI.Entertainment 
 

    Traditional games are played in pubs, ranging from the well-known darts, skittles, dominoes, cards and bar billiards, to the more obscure Aunt Sally, Nine Men’s Morris and ringing the bull. In the UK betting is legally limited to certain games such as cribbage or dominoes, played for small stakes. In recent decades the game of pool (both the British and American versions) has increased in popularity as well as other table based games such as snooker or Table Football also becoming common.

    Increasingly, more modern games such as video games and slot machines are provided. Many pubs also hold special events, from tournaments of the aforementioned games to karaoke nights to pub quizzes. Some play pop music and hip-hop (dance bar), or show football and rugby union on big screen televisions (sports bar).

    Many pubs in the UK also have football teams composed of regular customers. Many of these teams are in leagues that play matches on Sundays, hence the term “Sunday League Football”. Bowling is also found in association with pubs in some parts of the country and the local team will play matches against teams invited from elsewhere on the pub’s bowling green. 

    VII.FOOD 
 

    Traditionally pubs in England were drinking establishments and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food, other than “bar snacks”, such as pork scratchings, and pickled eggs, along with salted crisps and peanuts which helped to increase beer sales. If a pub served meals they were usually basic cold dishes such as a ploughman’s lunch. In South East England (especially London) it was common until recent times for vendors selling cockles, whelks, mussels and other shellfish, to sell to customers during the evening and at closing time. Many mobile shellfish stalls would set up near pubs, a practice that continues in London’s East End.

    In the 1950s some British pubs would offer “a pie and a pint”, with hot individual steak and ale pies made easily on the premises by the landlord’s wife. In the 1960s and 1970s this developed into the then-fashionable “chicken in a basket”, a portion of roast chicken with chips, served on a napkin, in a wicker basket. Quality dropped but variety increased with the introduction of microwave ovens and freezer food. ‘Pub grub’ expanded to include British food items such as steak and ale pie, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash, Sunday roast, ploughman’s lunch, and pasties. In addition, dishes such as burgers and asagna are often served.

    Since the 1990s food has become more important as part of a pub’s trade, and today most pubs serve lunches and dinners at the table in addition to (or instead of) snacks consumed at the bar. They may have a separate dining room. Some pubs serve meals to a higher standard, to match good restaurant standards; these are sometimes termed gastropubs. 
 
 
 
 

 

 

    Conclusion 
 

    England is a country of deep traditions. Its culture is diverse and multifaceted. “Public houses” or pubs are the integral part of British culture.

      The pub culture spreads its roots till the period of Roman conquests, the crusades, the age of King Richard the Lionheart. The names of pubs reflect the history, geography and folklore of the British people. Interior pubs remained unchanged for centuries, preserving the spirit of the English tradition.

    Pubs will continue to vary greatly, between the delightful and the ghastly. But in some ways they reflect more accurately than anything else the strengths and weaknesses of British society –strong community feeling in one pub, for example, and the bland tasteless homogeneity of modern society in another. It is also in the pub that people are usually unafraid to express their views, whether these conform to traditional British characteristics of understatement and moderation or whether they reflect a new stridency. For anyone interested in understanding Britain better, the pub is not a bad place to start. 

 

    LIST OF REFERENCE

       1.Мартин Пью История  Великобритании. - Н.Новгород.:  ННГУ, 2001. – 300с.

       2. Christy, Miller (1887). "Trade Signs of Essex: a popular account of the origin and meanings of the public house and other signs now or formerly found in the county of Essex". Chelmsford: Edmund Durrant & Co..

       3. Cornell, Martyn (2003) Beer: the story of the pint. London: Headline

       4. Haydon, Peter (2001) Beer and Britannia: an inebriated history of Britain. Stroud: Sutton

       5. Jackson, Michael & Smyth, Frank (1976) The English Pub. London: Collins ISBN 0002162105

       6. Richardson, A. E. (1934) The Old Inns of England. London: B. T. Batsford

 

    Dictionary to the subject 

    Ghastly - ужасный

    Banger - сосиска

    Pork scratching - шкварки

    Ploughman - пахарь, крестьянин

    Cockle -моллюски

    Whelk -брюхоногий моллюск

    Mussel -мидия

    Cribbage -крибидж

    Stake -ставки

    Slot machine -игровой автомат

    Ploy -уловка, хитрость

    Funds -денежные средства, капитал, фонды

    Paraphernalia - атрибуты, инвентарь, принадлежности

    Pun - игра слов, каламбур

    Oak -дуб

    Premise -помещение, владения, территория

    Intention -намерение, умысел

    Temperance - умеренность, трезвость

    Guinea - гинея, английская золотя монета= 21 шиллингу

    Cider - сидр

    Jug - кувшин, пивная кружка

    Barrel - бочка, баррель

    Grain - зерно, крупа, хлебные злаки

    Drunkenness - пьянство, алкоголизм

    Lawlessness - беззаконие, беспредел

    Income - доход

    Quench - погашение, утоление, удовлетворение

    To do one’s a great favour - оказать услугу

    Thrived- процветал

    Cozy- уютный

    Brewery -пивоварня

    Keg - кега, бочка

    Frosted glass –матовое стекло

    To obscure –затемнять, затенять

    Fringe - граница

    Bar counter – барная стойка

    Divisive вызывающий розни, сеющий распри

    Vice versa - наоборот, напротив

    Shrewd - проницательный, хитрый, умный

    Folk - люди, народность

    Peril - опасность, риск, угроза

    Mingle - вращаться в обществе

    Alehouse -пивная, паб

    Trumpet - рожок, труба

    Tankard - высокая пивная кружка, кружка с крышкой

    Local -местность

    Bierkeller- пивной ресторан

    Stout - стаут, крепкий портер

    Ale - эль, светлое пиво