BS: Pub Names

Subject: BS: Pub Names
From: Bassic
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:35 AM

Many of us in the UK are, I feel certain, irritated by the recent trend in Pub Names. Often they seem devoid of any rationale and just seem to be two "traditional" sounding words thrown together at random. I just KNOW that before long there is going to be a "Witherspoon and Firkin" or a "Tap and Linnet"!!

At one time it seemed that a pub name meant something. Perhaps reflecting the politics of the times..... "Kings Head", "Duke of Cumberland", "Waterloo Tavern" for example. Another typical source for a pub name was often a reflection of local trades or pastimes..... "Fox and Hounds", "The Sloop", "Brickmakers/Blacksmiths/Sailors Arms".

Then there were those that reflected the local geography/features or place names such as..... "The Zoological" (named after local ornamental gardens),"Harbour Lights", "Ferry Inn". Most of these can be found in and around Hull but are common across the UK.

There are many other categories and examples. The important thing was that they all seemed to have some rationale to their names that people could relate too. A recent BBC Radio comedy show highlighted the issue and quick as a flash, Barry Cryer came up with a modern equivalent,

"The Laptop and Ferret" (possibly appropriate for Leeds/Manchester's re-developed business quarter?)

Or how a bout "The Lion and Cheetah" for one of those Westminster pubs frequented by our lawmakers?

Or the local teachers pub, "The Ofstead and Breakdown".

I always thought the Humber Bridge Tavern should be "Tolls-are-US"

Any one else have a suggestion that might maintain the traditional "rules" for naming pubs but still reflect modern society?

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Gareth
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:57 AM

"The MicroSoft Harms" ?

"The Bonny EastIndia Call Centre" ?

"The ULCC Ashore" ? (Specially for Faversham)

"The Flag of Convenience"?

"The Coach and Duty Free" ?

"The Assemblyman and Badger?"

"The GPS and Echo Sounder" ?

and "The Smugglers Tranny Van" formerly "The Smugglers Cave".

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: GUEST,Boab D
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 08:13 AM

Hello all,
   Well for my pubs if I ever had one which I wont, too much work, they would be named

The "Amno inn" ( I think that you would have to be scottish)
or the "Moan Inn" same as above

There is a pub in Aberdeen Scotland called the "Noose and Monkey" and the history to it apparantly is that once upon a time a few years ago not too sure but a good while ago. Some people brought a monkey back to Hartleypool in the NEast of England and it was mistaken for a french spy and hung. Well thats the story anyway true or not but I like it.
Dylan

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: zanderfish3 (inactive)
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 08:28 AM

The Plastic Paddy, this would suit all those bloody awful pseudo Irish
theme pubs in England, [ are there any English theme pubs in Ireland ]
In mu home town in Yorkshire they evev turned a genuine Georgian pub into a mock irish pub which died on it feet.
Cheers [hic] Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Bassic
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 08:57 AM

The pub in "Eastenders" Should be renamed "The Queen Vic(tim)"

and since the proliferation of re-runs of soaps and omnibus editions How about,

"The Rovers Return Again...and again....and again....and again....and again..........."

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Mrrzy
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 10:12 AM

Check out mystery author what's her name - all her titles (Martha Grimes!) are the names of real pubs, like Help The Poor Struggler etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 12:46 PM

I live in Canada ... following our recent brushes with SARS, West Nile disease and BSE I thought "The Old Testament" might be appropriate.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 02:20 PM

Guest Boab D mentions the Hartleypool Monkey, which reminds that I've heard a song about the incident. I turned up the lyrics, with a reference to the tune (which I don't know). Here's the scoop:

"It was written in the early 1960s by Teessider Alan Wilkinson, but despite considerable searching, I've been unable to find out much more about either the song or the author. There has been much correspondence on the internet involving people in various countries, and Vin himself has even appealed to the audience at one of his Teesside gigs, but all to no avail.

If anyone can shed further light on this relatively recent song, I'd be interested in the information. (You can contact me via MB.)

So here it is, to the tune of the (now very politically incorrect) song "The Darkies' Sunday School", but I'm sure most of you will know it anyway:

The Hartlepool Monkey

By Alan Wilkinson

Well, it happened up in Hartlepool, about the time of France,
The Emperor Napoleon was leading us a dance,
When up along the coast came a British man of war,
And the captain's old pet monkey got washed up on the shore.

Chorus
Old folks, young folks, everyone and each,
Come and see the Frenchie who's landed on the beach,
He's got long arms, a great long tail, he's covered all in hair,
We think that he's a spy so we'll hang him in the square.

The Lord Mayor of Hartlepool was walking down the shore,
When he saw a funny sight, he'd never seen before,
Sitting in the sand was a little hairy man,
Clutching a banana in his little hairy hand.

Chorus

The Lord Mayor fetched the Town Clerk and they both went to the shore,
And there they found this little man, where he had been before.
A crowd had gathered round him, 'cos he was the strangest sight,
Since the sporting club caught fire on the previous Friday night.

Chorus

Constable Parsons, he hurried to the scene,
He viewed the situation and he licked his pencil clean.
He said 'Causing a disturbance is a serious offence,
And everything you say it will go down in evidence'.

Chorus

When this little man spoke, a funny thing was heard,
And Constable Parsons couldn't understand a word.
The reason for his puzzlement the crowd could plainly see,
This little man's a Frenchie from far across the sea.

Chorus

The little man's a French spy, the angry crowd did roar,
Sent over by Napoleon to invade our native shore.
They grabbed the little fellow by his long and hairy tail,
And handed him to Parsons, who hoyed him into jail.

Chorus

So they hung this little Frenchie from the gallows in the town,
With a rope around his little neck, and his tail all hanging down,
As a warning to Napoleon to make himself the rule,
Not to send his little hairy spies to dear old Hartlepool.

Chorus

This is the (only slightly modified) version which is quite often heard in Cotswold pubs. It usually goes down better with American tourists than with the English. Perhaps they are just more polite, though. Rambling Sid Stepho"

Secondly, Boab D expresses the desire to name a pub the Moan Inn. Here in my town of Amherst, Massachusetts, we've got a pub called the Moan and Dove. Quite British, I think, but rather cryptic.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Mr Red
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:00 PM

Yea the Full Platter in Chew Magna
and what about the Long and Winding Road in Utrecht?

I'll get my coat (of arms) ..........

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Les from Hull
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:04 PM

My pet hate is when pub names change. Not so much the recently opened ones but the ones that have been on the go for yonks. Tap and Spile for example. Now I like their pubs - plenty of choice of real ales and ciders, supporting live folk music, no jukeboxes, etc. But why do they have to change the name of the pub? They can get their branding over to customers without doing that. I was very happy when the Sun (oldest pub in Beverley and a haven for excellent music) got its name back.

And another thing - why do pubs have to change their name to their nickname. These local names are part of the local culture and I don't need to see Rayners and Green Bricks over the pub door. I think this possibly happened to the Push in Beverley. If the same thing happened to other pubs in Hull - Red Hell, Blue Heaven, Milehouse - I might have to form CAMRPN.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:19 PM

Give me a "pub" with lots of linoleum and chrome. The stools must be covered in padded vinyl. The TV should be B&W or at a minimum, a small color portable - no cable TV. The juke box should have at least one Neil Diamond single (still on vinyl). A close second would be a Seals & Crofts single. There should be a number of chachkas behind the bar including something with Cyldesdale horses, a framed photo of a Little League team, a box of Slim-Jims, plaster statues of baseball players (pre 1970), and assorted business cards from local plumbers, roofers and landscapers. Please note, these business cards must be attached with thumbtacks and I'm talking about the old silver type, not these plastic push pins that are all the rage. There MUST be a neon Bud sign in the window with venetian blinds behind it. The effect when you are sitting in the bar is rather comforting.

Oh yes, this is about pub names. My favorite was Mickey & Vinnies Dew Drop Inn.   I spent many a night there.

There is a similar bar in my hometown. No one is ever sure of the name of the place. It looks like the owner got the neon bar sign on sale because it says "TAVERN - THE INN". It may have been a salesmans demo but it still looks pretty damn good.

Let's not forget the beer. Ice cold Bud or if you are really lucky, you will find Schiltz.

Ron

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: GUEST,a lazy Gloredhel
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:27 PM

I was recently in two pubs called "The Shamrock House" and "Erin's Melody." Blech.   

Actually, the interiors aren't too bad, and the music was good. McGrath's was a different story. It had the sort of "Irish cottage" decor that one would expect of establishments with the aforementioned names, complete with lace curtains, sickly green walls, lights with yellowy-green glass that made everyone in the room look ill, and a solitary and tacky string of shamrock-shaped lights in one corner.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: The Walrus
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:59 PM

I'm with Les on Pub names, there used to be one in my area, which had been "The White Hart" since the Georgian era (it was a coaching inn, it was said), not a great pub, but a reasonable one. A few years ago it was taken over by a chain of "pub-restauants" and they've renamed it something so memorable that, for the life of me, I can't remember what it's called (probably the 'Rat and Supposatory' or something similar) I only ever went in once - bloody plastic pub.

To keep in with the rest of the thread:
"The Jolly Programmers"
"The BMW's Bonnet" (nearest I could think of to 'Nag's Head')
"The Bull(Sh*tt*r)" (obvious a pub near a 'spin doctor's office)

Walrus

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Bert
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 03:10 AM

Hmmm, pub names for modern society.

The Mouse and Cursor
The MicroSoft Word
The Screen and Spreadsheet
Zero Page (Not so modern now)
The Anonymous Guest
The Desk and Cubicle
The Potter and Broomstick

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 04:06 AM

Correct me if (when!) I'm wrong, but I think the "Ferret and..." chain in the UK was based on one of Tim Brook Taylor's radio comedy programmes (was it "Hello Cheeky"?)which featured a pub called the "Ferret & Terrapin".
Some new ideas...
Mouse and Trackerball
Mink & Moorhen
Queen & Camilla
Old Blair and Bush
Bullsh*t and Bush
Actuaries' Arms
Crossed Keystrokes
Banjo & Squeezebox
The Dog's Breakfast (Kim Howell's local)
Harp and Bottleneck
Pick 'n' Slide
Washboard & Kazoo (OK, no-one would go there!)
Archer and Aitken (near the Old Bailey)
Spin Doctor's Arms
Peter Green Man
...and , of course, that world-wide chain...
THE MUDCAT TAVERN

RtS
(I'll go, without waiting for me coat...)

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 08:54 AM

One of my family's hobbies is historical (or as my wife says, hysterical) re-enacting. For a prop we use flintlock rifles -- the old kind, where you load from the end of the barrel with loose powder, patch, and ball.

My youngest brother wants to open a pub for muzzleloading folks. Being strictly historical, he wants to call it the Cock and Balls. He also realizes that he'll probably have to change it to the Lock and Balls, even though I told him that Cock and Bull would suit as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Ely
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 11:57 AM

(Laughing hysterically)

There's a small "pub" in Houston called the Mucky Duck, which the proprieters claim is a term for a black swan. There's a carved black swan on a shelf above the bar. It used to sit next to the cash register until one night a (presumably intoxicated) customer grabbed it and ran out the back door with it. Sadly for him, he'd left his credit card with his name on it with the bartender. Probably the most quickly-solved theft case in history.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Bassic
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 12:55 PM

Ely,

Great story:-)

In northern parts of England, The "Mucky Duck" is a frequently used colloquial name for any pub named the Black Swan. "Mucky" being a slang term for dirty. The reason for the substitution of Duck for Swan, apart from the obvious alliteration, is I suspect, to make it sound less "posh". The Swan has connotations of being quite "upper class" (There is something about all swans being the property of the Monarch) and calling the Swan a Duck fits in with the style of British humour which seeks to de-bunk anything which seems to have too high an opinion of itself. So the proprietors are quite correct in there assertion, and the name would be instantly recognisable to anyone from the UK. Of course, as Les from Hull points out, no pub should be ACTUALLY called The Mucky Duck, it should always have a sign saying Black Swan outside in order to confuse foriners (them from Lundin) *grin*

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: GUEST,Raedwulf
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 01:04 PM

Bass, I think you'll find it's only swans on the Thames that belong to the Queen.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Bassic
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 01:06 PM

I also hear that, as a result of overwhelming public pressure, the House of Commons bar is to be renamed,

"The...P*ss up in a Brewery."

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: GUEST,Al K
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 01:47 PM

Bassic - they were thinking of it but couldn't arrange it. Still the old name of Member's Bar might be just as appropriate given some of the pr**ks who drink there.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: zanderfish3 (inactive)
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 02:53 PM

I agree with Les from 'ull. But Tap & Spile are guilty of some real horrors, here in Halifax they aquired the Royal Oak and covered all the genuine georgian oak panelling and beams with that bloody awful brown paint to ' standardise' it like the rest of the chain.
Cheers, Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 03:23 PM

Vaux breweries of Sunderland (gone now) bought The George in Piercebridge which houses the tall clock of 'My Grandfather's Clock' fame:

It was bought on the morn
Of the day that he was born.
It was always his pleasure and joy.
But it stopped, short
Never to go again
When the old man died.

And they REPAIRED it!!

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 04:16 PM

Just next to my office there is a pub called the 'Goat and Boots'... no-one knows why. It should really be called something like the 'Tax Man and Courier' because that's almost exclusively the clientele now that the building next door is finished.

I've always wondered about the 'Greenman and French Horn' off Trafalgar Square - although the addition of the greenman is only a hundred or so years old.... up until at least Waterloo (1814ish) it was just the 'French Horn' or more popularly - 'the Frogs' Prick'.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 07:16 AM

Now that most pubs are going for the food trade, what about

The Beer and Byte - meals are all served on a motherboard of course !

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Blackcatter
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 09:21 AM

Most of the pubs in the Orlando area have a Irish family name, so that people know their Irish easily enough - Kate O'Briens, Mulvaney's. The good traditional English pub that's been around for years is the Bull & Bush (nice and topical today). My favorite name of a pub in town used to be Skinny Dicks. Problem was that the city eventually made them change the name to "Skinny's."

The city has some issues in dealing with stuff they deem not "family-oriented" A few years ago some developers wanted to name a restaurant downtown "Jack the Ripper's" The city said - oh no - that's not good, so the developers asked what about calling it "Sweeney Todd's?" And the city (obviously not knowing the story of Sweeney Todd) said - go right ahead.

It was said that the meat at Sweeny Todds was very fresh and had an unusual flavor that no one could quite put a finger on . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 11:00 AM

I agree with Les that the name on the sign shouldn't be changed to what everyone calls the pub. The Fleece at High Eldwick - at the end of a footpath to Ilkley Moor, is known as Dick Hudson's, after a one-tin=me landlord. Things such as this are important - changing the pub sign to say Dick Hudsons would be a pointless exercise - we know what the pub is!

One thing to watch is the length of time these NEW NAMES stay on an old pub, before it suddenly reverts back to its original title.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 11:12 AM

The Change of Horses at Farnbrough, Kent, officially changed it's name twice in the same day. It was originally called the New Inn which was rather misleading since it was a 19C coaching inn. At lunchtime it became The Golden Nugget to fit in with the village carnival which had a wild-west theme, and changed to it's current name for the evening.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Billy the Bus
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 11:31 AM

I always reckon Conference would be a good Pub name. Secretaries could truthfully explain why the boss isn't available right now. Mind you I guess the cell-phone thingies have done away with the need nowadays.

Cheers - Sam

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Gareth
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 11:45 AM

And locally "The Colliers Arms" became "The Rowan Tree". To atract a "better sort of customer" The landlord may have suceeded, 'cos I've only been back there once after it was tarted up.

Duw, and to think that 150 years ago this was a meeting place for the Chartists.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 05:27 PM

Ah, Many's the poor young orphaned lad, the first square meal 'e'd ever 'ad... an 'ot meat pie, made from 'is dad, by Sweeney Todd the barber.

I rather fancy eating in the 'Hung, Drawn and Quartered' opposite the Tower of London, not far from the beautifully named 'Foxtrot Oscar'.... although the themed decor of the H,D & Q might be a little gruesome....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 05:43 PM

I was in Oxford recently for the first time in ages, and glad to see that the Bird and Baby (officially the Eagle and Child) is still open for business.

Perhaps, more locally, I'd better check out the Five too many (7 Balls) in Kenton Lane. And perhaps the Duck in the Pond (also Kenton Lane.

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 05:47 PM

On BtB's Conference suggestion, we also refer to the Royal Oak near work (as opposed to the Royal Oak where the Herga folk club meets) as "The outer office". You can actually catch up and have useful conversations with, people who never seem to be at their desks in the Inner Office.......

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Mr Red
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 07:12 PM

Walrus
I think you meant Superstory didn't you?

Blackcatter
good job Skinny's wasn't a chain - the would be legally unable to count to 4!

GUEST,Raedwulf
I think there is the swan-upping to consider - if they have been nicked what then? Don't they become the sole right of the Worshipfull Companies whose mark is upon the bill of the swan? (Or is that their cygneture?)

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Bert
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 10:11 PM

'Foxtrot Oscar'.... I love it Squeaksdarlin'

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: LadyJean
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 12:17 AM

When I visited England, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Alun Jones of the College of Medieval and Rennaissence studies, in Oxford. He had an intimate knowledge of every pub in the home counties. Which meant he could warn you about the ones that didn't welcome Americans.
It would be simpler if they incorporated their views into the pub names.
The Trainer Free Zone
It's A Jumper You Git!
I Am The Barman Who Ignores Americans
The Starless and Stripeless

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 08:14 AM

Sorry about the thread-drift, but since it was mentioned.

Bass, I think you'll find it's only swans on the Thames that belong to the Queen.

Swans on the upper Thames can be owned by the Queen, The Guild of Dyers, and the Guild of Vintners. Swan-Upping takes place once a year to mark cygnets belonging to the guilds with notches on the bill - all unmarked swans on the river are the property of the queen. The ownership of cygnets depends on the ownership of the parents. If these are owned by different parties, the cygnets are shared out half and half, according to a set of rules. If one parent is owned by the queen, her swan-keeper chooses which ones and also has any odd ones left. The Guilds have alternate days on which they have similiar preference over each other.

A publican friend of mine used to be part of the vintner's boat crew, so I used to accompany them up the river on my boat. We had some wonderful song sessions in the pubs at lunchtime and evenings.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Gareth
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 08:46 AM

Is Swan upping legal ?

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 09:08 AM

Well, with the next Million Dollars I plan on earning/winning/blackmailing, my intention would be to open a pub called The Grub and Grog... mind you though, I am currently working on a little song that has a pub as it's primary focus, whose name shall simply be "The Old Sailor's Oar", which could make for a bit of fun...

Regards/Regardless,
Brian.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: banjoman
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 11:11 AM

Favourite nicknames for pubs:

The Eagle & Child AKA The Buzzard & Bastard

In Harold Wilson's time there was a pub in his constituence named The Pipe & Gannexe

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Mr Red
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 02:32 PM

LadyJean
May we first apologise for the ignorance of bar stewards in the UK. However I have to say in defence of the rest of us Brits that it should come as no surprise to find that a man in red cloths and glasses and a red cowboy hat (well goucho actually but I quibble) can wait for 10/15 minutes (at least) while regulars get served and no amount of waving of a red tankard has any effect. And any comments said with a broad grin like "You know I shall have to do something to get meself noticed" falls on deaf ears - And I only go to pubs that have folk clubs by and large.

How many bar stewards does it take to change a light bulb? I'll tell you in just a minute - Oh hi Fred - the usual?

Dave Bryant
Thanks for the swan-upmanship - I knew there was a story and it involved non-royal personages.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 05:39 PM

There was a new pub opened in Weymouth and they decided, because it was near the harbour where once was a ferry, to call it 'The Oar House'. They invited Cynthia Paine to come and open it.

Someone with a bit more gripe than grip on reality, got narked at this and pointed out that it could 'possibly be misconstrued, a known "Madam" opening the oar house' and so they had to change the name to the Boat house. Shame really, it was the best thing about it, the name.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Billy the Bus
Date: 25 Jul 03 - 02:36 AM

It's great where Mudcat threads lead. Rick's 'Samuel Pepys...' thread induced me to find an on-line version, I'd heard about. There's plenty of info on London Pubs of the 1660s

In the medieval Palace of Westminster there were three rooms called 'Heaven', 'Hell' and 'Purgatory'. These were dining rooms [and alehouses] named after wall hangings or frescoes that were on the walls at one time.

"Nor break his fast
In Heaven and Hell."

Ben Jonson's Alchemist, act v. SC. 2.

Quite appropriate for the Houses of Parliament, methinks...

Cheers - Sam

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Jul 03 - 07:05 AM

I used to know a pub (now unfortunately knocked down) called the "Oar in Hand" - the sign showed a Thames Waterman wearing Doggetts Coat and Badge. It was always a bit of a tongue-twister to try and omit an H from the beginning.

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Gareth
Date: 25 Jul 03 - 12:07 PM

Ah yes, every Roman Galley had at least two rows of oars.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Sooz
Date: 25 Jul 03 - 12:25 PM

The pub where we have our folk club is called the Eight Jolly Brewers and delivers just what it says. Eight barrels of real ale and when one runs out it is replaced with a new and different one. It is a converted riverside warehouse and the new owner has just removed the grade two listed cobwebs but we forgave him so long as the Monkey Wrench rotates frequently. (A great strong beer, named for the Hartlepool monkey not the spanner!)

Subject: RE: BS: Pub Names
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 26 Jul 03 - 10:18 AM

Dread news is come to town, dread news is carried....

I knew they were in trouble after falling sales (serve 'em right for changing the bloody names and trying to get into the younger market) but it seems the great Dorset Brewery 'Eldridge Pope & Sons' is no more.

A great part of my childhood/adolescence has just died.....

Not to mention that it was there that I proved I *can* organise a piss up in a Brewery - 'twas there that Manitas and I had our wedding reception.

LTS - about to find a black armband.....