Having been born and bred in a Yorkshire city that, at one time, no matter where you walked in the city centre, had a pub within a stone's throw of another pub, it would have been hard not to see such places as an integral part of society. In the 50's and 60's the city had a huge part of the population working on trawlers as North Sea fishermen. These men would return after trips of around six weeks and spend a big part of their hard earned money and free time in the local pub getting smashed. In many ways this was I suppose understandable after being confined to a rocky ship in Icelandic waters, grafting hard for a period of time. However with this excessive drinking came fights and brawls.

With a decline in the fishing industry the local pubs still flourished. They were often a regular meeting place for friends and colleagues at the end of the working day. A good night could be had in the pub enjoying games such as Darts, Snooker or just listening to the juke box and having a laugh. Not everyone felt the need to get rolling drunk and over the years the pub became somewhere to enjoy a Sunday lunch or evening bar meal. Some bars would have live music and regular disco nights. Pubs were just an acceptable way of life.

British television soaps such as Eastenders and Coronation Street still show the local pub as a meeting place for neighbours and a hive of activity but in recent years this has become more fiction than fact. Coronation Street in particular still portrays a working class area where people have lived for years, generation upon generation, all congregating in the local pub. Having lived in such an area at one time I would say that this community type of pub is rare these days. People travel further afield for a night out and many local, small pubs are closing down.

In 2005 the U.K's stringent licensing laws were relaxed and the majority of pubs welcomed this with open arms. All day drinking though became hard on the staff of such pubs and those who could not hold their drink well. These changes have seen an increase in drink related crime and alcohol abuse. The purpose of these changes was exactly the opposite and it was hoped that people would not drink to excess if there was not a time limit. Many pubs have become serious drinking places these days and less of a good night out for all and sundry. Many people now avoid the local pubs in order to avoid the ever increasing amount of drunks around and the ensuing violence.

I guess the final nail in many pub's coffins, especially Northern ones, was the smoking ban which came into being in 2007. Quite a few local pubs had a core customer base that was made up of workers dropping in for a pint or two, a smoke and a chat on their way home from work. With the smoking ban it is easier for these folk to head straight home. The supermarket beers and the like are much cheaper than the pubs for one thing. Also when it is lashing down with rain I suppose it is no fun having to stand outside the pub with your pint so that you can have a cigarette at the same time. Some pubs actually end up with more people outside than in as non-smoking friends congregate with the smokers.

Overall I think that we British will always have the great British Pub. However I think that there will be fewer around and they will change their character and purpose to more of a family diner come relaxation area or just a no go, heavy drinking place. The great British pub as we knew it with a snug for the ladies, the bar for the heavy smoking men and a general, almost homely feeling is dead and buried.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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