Favorite Bar or Pub Names?

Turner · Post by **Turner** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 5:13 am

rbm wrote: This list could go on for quite a while, Dalton-in-Furness, where I used to live (5 miles from where I'am now) used to hold the world record (a long time ago)for the most pubs per square mile of habitation, it was a small mining town but had nearly 100 pubs most are now houses!! .

Iam sure that Chesterfield, in Derbyshire holds the record now (where I come from) also a mining town, the town centre has about 50 pubs, all back to back, theres a road called the Brampton mile, it obviously a mile long and has 23 pubs, if you can make it down the Brampton mile, then you are a bit of a local hero!!!

rbm · Post by **rbm** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 6:11 am

It must be somthing to do with mining !

Dalton-in-Furness has only about 15000 residents - a very small town may be just a mile across, In the street I used to live in the house numbers went up to number 96, and there had been 4 pubs - yep thats 1 pub for every 24 houses!

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 6:28 am

blackhawk wrote:The most common Irish pub name of which I am aware is Fiddler's Green. I've seen four of them, all separately owned.

Any idea why 4 Irish pubs should be named after an English song?

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 6:46 am

jbarter wrote:
blackhawk wrote:The most common Irish pub name of which I am aware is Fiddler's Green. I've seen four of them, all separately owned.
Any idea why 4 Irish pubs should be named after an English song?

The same reason that many once traditional English pubs are getting renamed with mockrish chain names, like Finnigan's Wake or O'Neill's. An attempt to pull in more punters by trying to be trendy. In the Fiddler's Green case I would guess they're aiming for the tourist trade.

I've sung Fiddler's Green in my Irish singing class, though, so the Irish like it enough to want to make it their own - at least the ones living in London do.

Most REAL Irish bars are named after the once or current owner - Joyce's, Paddy's Bar, Fitzgerald's (by the dozen), McCarthy's etc.

Turner · Post by **Turner** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 6:58 am

You are a fountain of useful information Martin, Thanks

There are still enough of the old pub names still kicking around though dont you think? As I recall we had one of those chain pubs O neils in our town, with the Flat pack "traditional" bar n all!!!´

Iam in Germany at the moment, and the Germans are Crazy about the Irish culture, there are loads of Irish pubs over here, but when you get inside, you normally get a crap pint of Guiness, and get to listen to some great German folk music

There are two which are ok, one in a town called Bielefeld, owned by an English guy, and one in Hannover owned by an Irish bloke. Both offer a great atmosphere!

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:04 am

Back in the late 60s early 70s there was a bar in Cleveland called the Library, one block from a university library. "Hey, Ma, I'll be at the Library all night." I admit to hanging out there perhaps more than I should have. It was in a 100 year old ramshackle house that has since been razed.
Mike

EricWingler · Post by **EricWingler** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:38 am

For Monty Python fans, there's the Frog & Peach.

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:13 am

A fairly common one in England is the 'Marquis of Granby'. Apparently the Marquis paid for and ran his own regiment. If any of his sergeants lived to complete their term of service he would buy them a pub which they invariably named after him. Unsurpisingly the Marquis eventually went bankrupt.

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:20 am

Nemo's on Michigan Avenue in Detroit, just down from old Tiger Stadium. The word Nemo, I think is Latin for nowhere.

MarkB

nickt · Post by **nickt** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:21 am

Martin - good news! The pub-theming trend is now in reverse; pub-theming companies are now going out of business as pubs de-theme.

There are so many weird and wonderful pub names over here, but my favourite just has to be "The Dog & Buttock".

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:23 am

Turner wrote: There are still enough of the old pub names still kicking around though dont you think? As I recall we had one of those chain pubs O neils in our town, with the Flat pack "traditional" bar n all!!!´

Well, yes, there's still a lot of old pubs names about, but, like hedgerows, they are a diminishing and irreplaceable (in our lifetime or our grandchildren's) resource.

About 50 yards from my house in West Ealing, there's a pub that stood for 200+ years as The Coach & Horses. It was a main stopping point on the coach road from London to Salisbury, Bath, and all points west. About 5 years ago it became Rosie O'Grady's. When that failed to pull in more punters it became some awful winebar whose name I thankfully can't recall.

I guess I'm just a traditionalist at heart, but I hate to see local history being erased so carelessly and with such little thought for future generations.

Of course I have no problem with brand new pubs having brand new names. A new pub called The Old Goa was built about 5 years ago near the centre of Ealing (I still maintain The Old Goat would have been a better name). It was a flop, and about a year ago became The Green, named after Ealing Green which it faces - at least that's sensible.

Goll, I seem so passionate about this, anyone would think I spent a lot of time in such establishments. If I do, it's purely for the purposes of research. That's it, research.

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 8:43 am

I've always liked pubs that are named after mythical creatures. Both the 'Honest Lawyer' and the 'Silent Woman' are good examples. (Dons asbestos underwear and awaits flaming)

In Lincoln, just outside the castle, is a pub called the Strugglers. It got the name because that's where everybody gathered to get the best view of the public hangings that were carried out on the castle walls.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 9:08 am

jbarter wrote:I've always liked pubs that are named after mythical creatures. Both the 'Honest Lawyer' and the 'Silent Woman' are good examples. (Dons asbestos underwear and awaits flaming)
In Lincoln, just outside the castle, is a pub called the Strugglers. It got the name because that's where everybody gathered to get the best view of the public hangings that were carried out on the castle walls.

Humph. I went in there for a drink a couple of years back and I didn't get to see any public hangings.

See what I mean about losing our traditions?

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 9:44 am

Don't worry Martin, these days they only hang bodhran players though carrying a recorder is still subject to hanging, drawing, and quartering. (Let's see, who else can I offend today?)

Dancing Rat · Post by **Dancing Rat** » Thu Mar 13, 2003 2:04 pm

You've got to like the Frog and Peach. I mean " Where would YOU go if you wanted a large frog and a damn fine peach?" eh