English pubs history

The English pub, or public house, is an institution in British community life as a place to imbibe, eat and converse with neighbors dating back nearly 2,000 years to the time of the Roman colonization of the British Isles. 

While the inhabitants of Great Britain are known to have drank ale since the Bronze Age, the English pub stems from Roman colonizers that built places where travelers could get food, wine and rest along the roads of Great Britain.

But the pub  has its origins in the abbey breweries and monasteries, which appeared shortly after the Norman conquest of Britain in 1066. The Normans, upon conquering Britain set about building a huge network of places of worship throughout the land. Not long afterwards, many monasteries and abbeys began to brew their own beer, for sale to pilgrims. This led to the later development of ale houses, where travellers and locals could sit in for a drink ale. Which led to the development of inns. Inns have, in turn, developed again into simple drinking houses  called 'public houses' or 'Pubs'.

Although pubs are synonymous with ale, the next big development in their history came in the 18th century when gin was introduced to the UK. Gin shops began to sprout up across Britain and in an attempt to fight off this threat to their trade, pubs too began to increase. Drinking reached epidemic proportions, and the strength of gin led to poor physical and mental health and an increase in crime and disorderly behaviour.

As a result of all this, the Beer Act of 1830 was introduced in an attempt to reduce public drunkenness and amongst other things, opening hours were cut and many of the laws contained within the act carry on to the present day.

 Into the 21st century  some pubs have changed very little. The traditional village pubs is still at the heart of the community, and the design both inside and out may not have changed at all for over a hundred years.

Elsewhere, large chain pubs are cropping up in towns all over Britain, with vast modern buildings and shiny decor that is not to everyone's taste, but at least they are working to keep the British pub alive. 

Interesting Facts

By the 10th century so many alehouses had popped up throughout the country that King Edgar the Peaceful created a law in 965 A.D. that only one alehouse be allowed per village.

The Middle Ages saw an increase in population and subsequent industry that polluted many of Britains waterways. The alehouse grew still more in popularity as Britains looked to ale as a safe source of drinking water.

The term "pub" originated in Victorian-era England as a shortening of "public house." There are currently more than 50,000 pubs throughout England.