I love to read this thread. I guees it's similar over here but that's just an impression without backup by data.

One bit, however, has surprised me. Is what the Crown in Old Harlow does, namely excluding customers below a certain age, legal in Britain? It would be completely illegal over here and the landlord would risk his license displaying such a sign.

We had a time when there were signs reading 'No...allowed' all over our country, even long after the war, when signs were disallowing coloured GIs to enter German pubs. Meanwhile, the general consensus (and a demand by a law) is that no landlord (same for hotels, shops,...) has any right to exclude any group of customers except according to what the law prescribes (no minors).

So any sign excluding any group which is legally allowed to enter a pub would be illegal. I have never heard or read of discrimination on basis of age in Germany, like e.g. no person above 65 allowed, but the cases we read of over here in the last couple of years are signs (or admission policies without explicit signs) of the type 'No turks allowed' or 'wheelchairs unwelcome'.

Of course, that doesn't prevent any landlord from dissuading some unwelcome groups by choosing opening times, loudness of music, late serving, pricing of drinks, interior style accoring to the tastes of subgroups catered for. So, you easily get a feeling whether you are too old or too young or whatever for a pub. But explicit discrimination is not allowed.

Wolfgang