Just realised my comment above may not be relevant as the thread is about the ENGLISH pub and the successful one we've visited tonight is, of course, Welsh.
Perhaps Mudcatters could try to remember that England is only one part of these islands - unless it's true that pubs in England are having a harder time than those in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and, for that matter, Ireland?
But to digress onto Welsh pubs ... on our hill here in Pontypool there are or were no fewer than five pubs at one time. It's surprising that they ever were all viable businesses, given that it's not the most properous of towns and money would not have been plentiful even before these hard times. It's not a long walk from one to the next. Inevitably with the change in social drinking habits one has closed - but that's still four still open, and given the total number in town (no, I'm not going to try to count them, but trust me, there are a lot) it's amazing they're still going.

Anne