Is This The End Of Our Public Houses?

15 Jun

As the government considers the impact to businesses across the country in the wake of the Covid 19 Pandemic, it is clear that one industry that has suffered greatly is that of the hospitality industry, most notably Pubs and Restaurants which have been closed for business for almost forty weeks since the start of Lockdown. For an industry that was already in slow decline prior to the pandemic (the BBC released an article in 2018 claiming London was losing one pub a week!), its future hangs in the balance. Here we consider the impact our public houses have had on our country’s historic development, their precarious position in our society today and what hope there is, if any, for the country’s remaining hospitality building stock.

Currently there are around 40,000 public houses in the UK, with 3,500 pubs in London alone. The phrase ‘public house’ was first coined in the 17th Century to simply differentiate private houses from those open to the public such as alehouses, taverns, inns and hotels etc all of which were from then on collectively referred to as ‘public houses’. The differences between the types of establishments are interchangeable but the general differences can be explained by their roles in history as set out below.

THE ROMAN TABERNAE

The first reference to any type of public house in the UK comes from the Latin word tabernae following the Roman invasion, from where our word ‘tavern’ is derived. In the tabernae the Romans would drink grape-based drinks in preference to English ales made from malted barley, flavoured with herbs or spices. Such ales would be made as ‘home-brew’ by wives and sold from a small corner of their primitive homes to local travellers for additional modest income to that of their husbands. These sectioned off corners of their homes became the first known version of a ‘drinking bar’. An alehouse could be identified by an ‘ale-stake’ protruding from the front of the building – a forerunner to the now prevalent ‘pub sign’.

DRINKING TO EXCESS IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Throughout the Early Middle Ages drinking became an all-encompassing past time for the Saxons, excessively drinking to the condemnation of ecclesiastical authorities. As a result, the Normans used the Church to maintain social and political control, imposing laws against such behaviour. Drinking was contained to specific locations - Monastic orders saw the opening of specific ‘inns’ or ‘guesthouses’ (distinct from an alehouse as they typically provided rudimentary sleeping accommodation in addition to drinking facilities), usually along religious Pilgrimage routes, whereby drinking could take place. As trade and commerce developed secular inns were also introduced along many of the main transport roads out of London and throughout the country providing much needed refreshment and overnight shelter to passing travellers and messengers. Interestingly, execution routes from prisons to the gallows would be lined with pubs, with the death-marches providing entertainment for drinkers (often the prisoners would be given ale by the revellers as they passed by, no doubt providing welcomed relief for what was about to follow).

The growth of drinking establishments continued throughout the Medieval period, with fortunate landowners benefiting greatly by charging substantial amounts of money to grow the wheat and barley required for ale-making, further highlighting the unjust nature of the feudal system of the time. As drinking became an increasingly popular past-time, partly socially but often as a means of numbing the pain of a miserable existence for most of the adult population, the variety of public houses grew. Native taverns began appearing in the more well-to-do areas providing superior facilities to that of alehouses and inns. These were frequented only by the higher-class members of society, allowing them to socialise away from the doleful lower classes. Wine, often imported from France, was likely to be chosen over ale as it has a more sophisticated feel. Unlike inns, tavern-keepers were not allowed to have guests sleep on the premises.

By 1309 London alone had over 350 taverns and around 1,330 alehouses – drinking was a staple of society and was fast becoming an uncontrollable beast. Throughout the Middle Ages public houses became the place where business was made, deals were struck, grievances were solved, debts were repaid (either honourably or dishonourably). These were the places where key political decisions were made, often at the end of a long day of drinking!

THE GIN SCOURGE OF THE 18th CENTURY

Very few ancient alehouses and taverns remain in London as most were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. In the aftermath of the Fire, the Great Revolution saw a shift in drinking habits with a new type of alcohol taking precedence over ale and beer. Gin, which had been around from the early 1700s in moderation, quickly became the beverage of choice following a political move by the ruling powers. When the very protestant William III and Mary II took to the throne in 1689, the wholly Catholic France had the monopoly on England’s gin supply, importing it across the English Channel. In a move to quash their religious rival’s influence on their country the ruling monarchs introduced a law allowing gin to be grown on home soil, with very little restrictions. This political move did indeed significantly hinder France’s influence, but at what cost? What followed was a gin scourge across the UK. Gin production became rife, often using adulterated ingredients as distillers looked to make a quick buck by making potent, cheap gin. Demand was extremely high due to the poor societal conditions of the time- gin provided a momentary escape from reality at little cost (employees would often prefer to be paid in gin than money) – its effect was warming, but also addictive and oftentimes poisonous. London quickly became an ill and drunken society.

PROPAGANDA IN FAVOUR OF BEER?!

Following the quick decline in national productivity due to its dependence on gin, it took a long time for any sign of order to be introduced back into society. Parliamentary Acts introduced in 1729, 1736 and 1743 to tackle the problem were widely ignored. The government finally brought about some change with the introduction of the 1751 Act when marketing propaganda was circulated in conjunction, highlighting the negative impact of gin. William Hogarth was employed to paint two contrasting paintings: The first, titled Gin Lane, satirically depicted the misery caused by the abuse of gin. The second, titled Beer Street, by contrast depicted the apparent merits of drinking beer. It was around this time that coffeehouses also rose to prominence, providing the antithesis to gin. Rather than deenergise the consumer, coffee provided them a pick-me-up and in turn an alertness to press on through the day. And so thankfully by 1757, despite gin production still continuing in smaller doses, the gin craze had all but ended, to the relief of a country in disarray.

Concurrently throughout the 18th Century Britain was becoming increasingly industrial. Drinking, and the culture around it became increasingly commercialised and subsequently more controlled and regulated. Makeshift alehouses made way for regulated public houses selling ‘wholesale’ beer made in breweries offsite, often shipped in along the increasingly advanced road, river and canal systems; a bi-product of the Industrial Revolution. The fairly weak, un-hopped ale of yesteryear quickly became displaced by much stronger, hopped beer flavoured with herbs. As time pressed on the consumer-conscious public expected a wide range of drinks and flavours, encouraging breweries to crop up across the country. Cider, made predominantly in the south west and shipped in to London along the Thames, also grew in popularity. Consumerist drinking had begun.

Drinks production expanded rapidly through the 18th Century and into the 1800s. A Beer Act making beer cheaper and more readily available was introduced in 1830 with the primary aim of ridding the country of the insidious influence that gin still had over the poorer population, albeit on a scale far less widespread than before. But whilst the number of beer sales went up, it did little to discourage the selling of gin. It was at this point that the term ‘gin palace’ was coined. Aimed at the lower echelons of society, places that sold gin attracted sleazy and uncouth clientele. In contrast the buildings themselves would be elaborately and lavishly decorated throughout with resplendent furniture and fittings inside, hence being called ‘palaces’, to give their patrons a temporary sense of luxury - brewers realised that individual drinkers had little money to spend but if they could be attracted to the palaces en masse, the collective spending power was considerable.

THE VICTORIAN PUBLIC HOUSE

Between 1801 and 1841 London’s population had more than doubled (from less than 1 million to over 2 million). As the city expanded outwards, wealthy landowners sold their land to speculative Victorian builders who threw up streets of residential houses. Those with a shrewd head would position a public house on seemingly every street corner, confident that they would be snapped up by small or large brewers alike. Throughout the Victorian period Britain was characterised by economic growth and rising incomes and living standards. In turn the consumption of beer and spirits rose all the more, with sale money invested back into the buildings, fitting them with furniture of the highest quality. Many of the public houses were rebuilt and new ones with significant ornamentation and embellishments - the Victorian architecture that we know today - opened on a vast scale across London with builders making a fortune in return.

REVIVAL BEYOND THE WAR YEARS

The 20th Century saw the drinking culture steadily increase. Despite food rationing during the war years, beer avoided rationing as it was considered essential for boosting morale (even women were encouraged to drink after long shifts in factories) albeit the quality of production was questionable with some beer made from obscure ingredients such as potatoes. The inter-war years saw the government attempt to improve the broadly unwholesome reputation public houses had been given over the centuries with the introduction of the ‘reformed pub movement’, which saw the erection of many new pubs often in mock-period style with improved facilities such as games rooms, restaurants and large gardens in an effort to appeal to families and a mix of incomes and social classes. Most have since been demolished with many of those that remain having recently been given listed status to prevent them disappearing completely. The years that followed the war saw Britain become progressively liberated, with women increasingly frequenting pubs and other such establishments. Despite the large number of houses being built throughout the sixties and seventies in account of the rapidly increasing population the number of public houses being built didn’t follow suit. Given the number of attractive Victorian and Edwardian pubs still in business there wasn’t a great need for many more pubs to be built – the quintessential ‘English pub’ was borne.

The end of the 20th Century allowed public houses to thrive. As the 1980s and 90s progressed, disposable income increased and entertainment and leisure pursuits became a weekly norm. And because supermarkets weren’t yet overly subscribed with countless varieties of beers for home consumption, the pub was the go-to social-setting for both younger and older generations alike.

But in the current technological age, the frequency at which people attend pubs has slowly and subtly declined. With the ever-increasing capabilities of smart phones, online-shopping and increasing temperatures due to climate change, there is now far less need, or even desire to leave the house for entertainment. The way we socialise is changing and for the younger generation, the prospect of sitting in a dark, worn-out pub alongside aged punters, is not high up on their list. There will always be the ‘old-faithfuls’ who return to their local each week to sup on a pint or two but theirs is a dying breed so to speak, and as society continues to progress, the once revered local pub is set to die out with those faithful few that prop up its bar. Despite its more than colourful past which has been an instrumental influence on our country’s history, the local pub is at risk of dying a tragic death in the wake of the pandemic which has forced the population to forego social activities.

IS THE END IN SIGHT FOR THE LOCAL PUB?

And so the question remains, what will happen to those buildings that have collectively played such a key role in defining our culture and society, and yet whose use today is fast becoming surplus to requirements? On the one hand there are the Local Authorities who want the buildings to be retained and restored (rightly, to preserve our country’s historical past), yet on the other hand those with the finances, developers, have very little incentive to do so – to simply restore a historical building, with all the complexities that go with it, creates very little financial return. Even the listing of buildings as a protective method is only successful if they have an owner willing to invest in them.

As heritage architects, this is the dilemma we see time and time again. Developers fighting to demolish the buildings, planners firmly resisting. A protracted negotiation process usually follows with each party reluctantly giving way incrementally. Several pre-apps and large amounts of expended fees later, a compromised solution is often settled on, with neither party wholly satisfied.

A CALL FOR EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN

There needs to be a way to appease both parties for the benefit of the building and the surrounding community; to develop the site beyond the host building – to bring in the return required by the developers, whilst also retaining the host building’s significance and character – to the satisfaction of the planners. The answer comes in the form of exceptional and highly considered architectural design. Planners are rightly reluctant to allow historic pubs to be developed substantially beyond their original form if the result is an over-developed ‘Frankenstein’ building designed with little respect for the original building’s significance. But exceptional architectural design is capable of working alongside the historic building, developing a narrative that justifies its enlargement (be that in a sensitively imitative or a contrastingly contemporary manner). Exceptional design considers the end user, creating spaces and environments that are appealing and receptive and inclusive to all. Exceptional design responds to the intricacies of the building’s detailing, its historical intentions, its societal status (both in the past and the present) creating a cohesive development that is to the benefit of the host. For this a detailed understanding of our country’s heritage and historic building styles and techniques is required alongside the highest level of architectural design and delivery. A careful balance between ‘preservation’ and ‘development’ is required when it comes to our historic public houses and the onus falls to the architect, working collaboratively alongside both developer and local authority, to strike the correct balance to ensure their survival and allow their influence and contribution to our country’s society to continue.