DORSET PUBS THROUGH TIME
WHITSTABLE & HERNE BAY PUBS
The Kent coastal towns of Whitstable and Herne Bay are 5 miles apart, but are very different in character. However, they are united in having a wealth of diverse and colourful pubs.
Whitstable, over the past decade or so, has become one of the most fashionable destinations in the UK, attracting hundreds of thousands of well-heeled tourists every year, both from the UK and abroad. The town also hosts a highly regarded literary festival and also a biannual contemporary art festival. Whitstable’s many pubs are central to both events and all year round play a major part in the town’s culture. Herne Bay has lived in Whitstable’s trendy shadow for some time now, but over the past two years has been developing a character all of its own. It now combines elements of a traditional English seaside town with a number of increasingly upmarket elements and a diverse range of pubs.
WINDSOR PUBS
The Berkshire town of Windsor has a rich royal history and you’ll find no better illustration of this than in its many and varied old hostelries. People have been enjoying the hospitality offered by the town’s watering holes since William the Conqueror first built a castle here in the eleventh century. Today, that reputation continues as a lively mix of locals and tourists look to quench their thirst.
From bustling alehouses that maintain a live music scene through to traditional taverns offering a more sedate atmosphere redolent of a seemingly bygone age, this book will guide you through the town’s pub landscape.
ST ANDREWS PUBS
Despite its relatively small size, the city of St Andrews boasts more than its fair share of pubs. With most contained within the boundaries of the medieval town centre, each offers its own long and unique history. Discover the tales behind the names, explore the town’s best ‘19th holes’, where golf legends of the past and present have enjoyed a drink, or relax in the basement bar where Prince William and Kate Middleton famously courted. From the traditional pub, such as the Central, a long-established pub with a large central bar, to the modern pub, such as the Rule, providing contemporary facilities within a historic building, St Andrews has a pub to suit everyone.
STROUD VALLEYS PUBS THROUGH TIME
Stroud is the capital of the south-western Cotswolds, located at the divergence of the five Golden Valleys, named after the monetary wealth created in the processing of wool from the plentiful supply of water power. Five populated valleys converge at Stroud, ten miles south-west of Cheltenham, creating a bustle of hills. The bustle is not a new phenomenon. During the heyday of the wool trade the River Frome powered 150 mills, creating thirsty workers in need of refreshment. In this the fifth of his series of Pubs Through Time, Geoff Sandles takes us on an affectionate visual journey through the valleys’ watering holes, and uses old and new images, as well as entertaining captions to bring the history of the Stroud Valleys’ pubs to life. From Amberley to Woodchester, Stroud Valleys Pubs Through Time will delight and surprise those who regularly frequent these establishments and know the area well.
SOUTH SHIELDS PUBS
The pubs of South Shields are numerous and each has its own fascinating history. From enjoying a post-work tipple to celebrating the football result on a Saturday evening, the pub is the hub of the community, and an iconic part of Britain’s high streets. Author Eileen Burnett traces the history of these drinking establishments, taking in the landlords, notable characters, stories and a pint or two along the way.
From pub signs to bar hatches, every curiosity of some of South Shields’ best-known pubs are uncovered; ideal snippets of trivia to impress your friends while buying a round. Well researched and beautifully illustrated, South Shields Pubs provides something for everyone, whether they have lived in South Shields all their lives, or whether they are just visiting this vibrant town.
SOUTHWARK PUBS
Southwark is one of London’s oldest and most intriguing neighbourhoods; a hotbed of culture and commerce that has played a major part in the development of the capital. Its streets were familiar to Shakespeare and Dickens, both of whom surely drank, schemed and dreamed in the many inns and taverns that abounded. This is where Chaucer’s pilgrims began their long march to Canterbury, and many centuries later it was a major terminus for the many coaches that served the south of England. Four hundred years ago Londoners flocked to the area to watch the latest Shakespeare play at the Globe, or perhaps to visit one of the area’s numerous brothels. Bear-baiting and dogfighting were popular attractions, too.
People still pour into the area, although these days in search of more innocent pleasures such as high art at the Tate Modern, the foodie haven that is Borough Market or to catch a performance at the recreated Globe on Bankside. The one thing that has remained the same across the centuries is the diversity and quality of the area’s many pubs. Southwark Pubs offers an historical guide to some of the borough’s most fascinating hostelries, from London’s last surviving galleried coaching inn to the Thameside tavern that waved the Pilgrim Fathers off on their first voyage to America. There is a drop of liquid London history for the lover of ale and anecdote alike.
SHEFFIELD PUBS
Sheffield is the fourth-largest city in England and was where the Industrial Revolution began in earnest. It is renowned for its high-quality steel and fine cutlery, for its two large universities and for having, when it was built, the biggest shopping centre in Europe, yet there is so much more to know about this proud South Yorkshire city. As in many places, these pubs grew up with the city, both shaping and being shaped by its changing prosperity through the years.
In Sheffield Pubs, Ian Rotherham, Christine Handley and Michael Liversidge present an excellent collection of photographs from which the reader will glimpse some of Sheffield’s oldest pubs as well as the town’s more popular watering holes and established ‘locals’
NORTH COTSWOLD PUBS THROUGH TIME
Unlike many areas of the country, which have seen many pubs closing down in recent times, the Gloucestershire Cotswolds has luckily been able to retain most of its picturesque inns, and many of its local breweries and ales. Of course, it has also gained some examples of the modern ‘gastro-pub’. While these are very exclusive, they do not have the same history and charm as the traditional establishments of the area. In this the third of his series of Pubs Through Time, Geoff Sandles celebrates the more traditional watering holes of the North Cotswolds. Join Geoff in his tour through the North Cotswolds, taking in the idyllic honey-coloured pubs of villages and towns including Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden. The fascinating history of the area’s inns and pubs is lavishly illustrated with archive images and modern colour photography.
NUNEATON PUBS
Pubs were an important part of our social history because they were, and still are to some extent, the working man’s front parlour. In the pub or beer house our ancestors could meet with their friends, with an endless supply of liquid refreshment to dull their senses and blot out the misery of their daily grind.The pubs of Nuneaton were, and still are, a resort of comfort in times of relaxation, in distress and marital infidelity. Back then they became political headquarters, a home of sporting clubs and friendly societies and a venue for entertainments such as darts and dominoes – which were all taken seriously.
Pub-goers, like actors on a stage, played out their part at the bar as the soap opera of their lives was forgotten. In Nuneaton Pubs, Peter Lee explores how public houses thrive today, with a new clientele, new decor, and different (or indifferent) beer, and shows that the pub continues to form an essential and integral part of the history and social fabric of our towns.
