Lockdown has called last orders for British pubs
Yes, six pubs have closed every week during lockdown, but every single pub in this country has lost its spirit.
Cartoon by Crid.
The death of the British pub is not just found in the boarded up windows, the empty taverns and the financial ruin of publicans. For the pub is not simply a room to drink in, it is the epicentre of community, in indefatigable symbol of Britain, and of Britishness.
The death of the British pub is found in the stale atmosphere of the ones that stay open.
Yesterday, I went to the pub. I was made to ‘sign in’ and hand over personal details before being led across the room to a table that I was not to leave unless relieving myself in the lavatory or going home. At one point, I got up to fetch some condiments from a nearby table, and was barked at for not wearing a mask.
The death of the British pub is a multi-faceted issue. Yes, six pubs have closed every week during lockdown, but every single pub in this country has lost its spirit.
Where songs were sung and friends were made, now only hypochondria and distrust remain.
The spirit of the pub is one of dissent, of community, roudyness and the letting down of one's hair. When it is regimented, when it is not free, not spontaneous, it is not British and it is not a pub. It is simply a table in a room, cordoned off from the rest, where you go to drink in silence.
