One or two of the pubs in Attercliffe and Brightside in Sheffield, which practically backed onto steelworks, had prominent notices which said, "No working clothes". The idea was to keep out some of the furnace charge-wheelers and so on, whose overalls would shower a cascade of rust, filings, turnings, clinker, soot and so forth, wherever they walked or sat.

Needless to say, the accountants were told that they could not come in unless they removed their ties and pinstripes.

This situation was unlikely to arise; if I remember, there was a crowded pub, the "Duke of Wellington" at the back of Forgemasters, which did a roaring trade with thirsty foundry floor workers. The carpets were about 50% cigarette burn marks, and sometimes you did need a hard hat to be safe while ordering a drink. Then there was a more genteel establishment, the "Carbury Hall" out the front, which had oak panelling, waitress service and all the trimmings, for the gaffers. I was once treated to dinner there after I bodged some of Forgemasters' scrap inventory software; I felt very out of place.


The "No Trainers" rule more often applies to nightclubs than pubs.


Pubs can say, "No dogs"; this is not a reference to less-than-attractive ladies. (Badly controlled dogs can be a nuisance). However, the words "No pets" on advertisements for property to rent or let, are usually a thinly disguised code for, "No coloureds"


As IanC says, a landlord can bar anybody, without needing to give any reason. Paul Merton once became involved in an argument with an elderly bigot of a landlord who objected to his style of humour on the TV. The landlord told him, "You're barred, for life". Paul Merton replied, "Whose lifetime ? Yours or mine ?"