Not only did their clientele change but public houses
evolved in other ways as well. Our idea of a traditional urban pub with ornate
mirrors, etched glass and polished brass fittings is actually a later evolution
of the traditional tavern tarted up with the glitz of a gin palace. In larger
places the premises might be divided into a stand up bar for the drinkers of
spirits like gin; a cozy parlour for the more respectable clientele such as
tradesmen, clerks and reporters; and a tap room for artisans and engineers.
The trade itself also evolved from independent pubs run by
the owners to public houses owned by the breweries and run by publicans who
were actually tied tenants of the brewers. Brewing companies would own a string
of pubs to which they supplied beer. That is why it was common to see brewer’s
signs like Barclay Perkins or Whitbread prominently displayed above the sign
for the name of the pub on the front of the premises. My grandparents were
publican tenants of a brewery. But how they ended up running the Hearts of Oak
pub in London’s East End and my grandmother’s long association with the serving
side of pubs is a story that illustrates many of the changes that pubs
experienced through the decades.
Sources
Jennings, Paul. The
Local: A History of the English Pub. Tempus Publishing Limited, Stroud,
Gloucestershire, 2007
Monckton, H.A. A
History of the English Public House. The Bodley Head Ltd., London, 1969
Spiller, Brian. Victorian
Public Houses. David and Charles Ltd., London, 1972.
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