What is a Proper English Pub?

An honest, if irreverent, guide for non-English visitors

A proper English pub, not just a bar or a chain pub, needs to be on the to-do list of the discerning visitor to England.

So, how can you tell if it is ‘proper’? Age is important: it needs to be old. In towns and cities there is some degree of flexibility on what old means. Edwardian is fine, that’s over 100 years old, and they still knew how to build pubs. Now, if the town, or part of town, you happen to be in was built more recently, some exceptions can be made; although it begs the question why on earth are you there? Perhaps it’s business not pleasure, maybe you are lost and it’s raining. Anything less then 50 years old is to be treated with the utmost suspicion, particularly if they have tried to make it look older than it really is. (However, Victorian pubs that had their interiors ripped out in the 1970s; then had replica Victorian interiors installed during the early 21st century, are collectors items).

As for the countryside, we need to set a hard limit of Edwardian (1901-1910) at the very latest. Ideally though, it should be ancient enough to be home to a ghost or two from Tudor times. If the landlord claims that the timber frame was constructed from oak sourced from the Spanish Amada, he is probably a liar, but you are in a certifiable proper pub.

Below is a handy 10 point check-list for a ‘proper pub’. You don’t need a 100% strike rate, the older the building, the more lee-way you can give it. Also, somewhere like the Blue Bell in York was built in the Edwardian era and left alone. It might not score that highly, but it is still perfect. When you have been to enough proper pubs, you will develop a 6th sense and can dispense with the list altogether.

• It is a Free House (not tied to a large brewery or chain)

• Sloping floor and/or low ceiling

• Ill-thought out extensions that have been added over time

• The chairs don’t match (each other or the décor)

• Black and white photos of the pub & town, often under a blanket of snow, on the walls

• Collections of old coins, notes or beer mats on display

• Colour photos (probably from the 1980s & 90s) of regulars having ‘fun’ on a ‘fun’ night

• Horse brasses

• Things hanging from the ceiling (doesn’t matter what: tankards, pots, voodoo dolls)

• Old tat that was a freebie from a brewery (especially Guinness toucans)

(Disclaimer: I’m not promising that it will be any better than an improper pub. Also, English people can be reticent when speaking to strangers. This is less so in a pub. If you print out my check-list and walk around ticking things off, I guarantee that someone will start a conversation with you. I accept no liability for how well that conversation goes).

I hope this is of some use in judging whether or not you are in proper pub. I’ve found the AA pub guide pretty reliable over the years and if your interest is specifically beer, then CAMRA are a good source of information.