Editing Pub (section)

{{short description|Establishment that serves alcoholic drinks}}
{{other uses}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Public house|Public housing}}
{{Redirect|Ye olde pub|the plane flown by Charles Brown in WWII|Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}

[[File:pub.williams.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|A [[thatching|thatched]] country pub, the Williams Arms, near [[Braunton]], [[Devon]], England]]
[[File:PubCamdenTown.jpg|thumb|A city pub, [[The World's End, Camden|the World's End]], [[Camden Town]], London]]
[[File:Henry Singleton The Ale-House Door c. 1790.jpg|thumb|''The Ale-House Door'' (painting of c. 1790 by [[Henry Singleton (painter)|Henry Singleton]])]]

A '''pub''' (short for '''public house''') is in several countries a [[drinking establishment]] licensed to serve [[alcoholic drink]]s for consumption [[Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence|on the premises]]. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private houses from those open to the public as alehouses, [[tavern]]s and [[inn]]s.<ref>{{cite web|website = chivalryandwar.co.uk|url=http://www.chivalryandwar.co.uk/Resource/ORIGINS%20OF%20THE%20ENGLISH%20PUB.pdf |title= Origins of the English pub|first= Stephen|last = Cooper|date=28 March 2014<!--from pdf source-->}}</ref> Today, there is no strict definition, but the [[Campaign for Real Ale]] (CAMRA) states a pub has four characteristics:
# is open to the public without membership or residency
# serves draught beer or cider without requiring food be consumed
# has at least one indoor area not laid out for meals
# allows drinks to be bought at a bar (i.e., not only table service)<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite book |last=Wickham |first=Melisa |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/closing-time-pubs-final.pdf |title=Closing time: London's public houses |last2=Cominetti |first2=Nye |publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-84781-654-2}}</ref>

The history of pubs can be traced to [[tavern]]s in [[Roman Britain]],<ref name="History of the pub">{{cite web|url=http://www.beerandpub.com/pub_history.aspx |title= History of the pub|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713152634/http://www.beerandpub.com/pub_history.aspx |work= Beer and Pub Association |archive-date= 13 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="Great British Pub"/> and through [[Anglo-Saxon]] alehouses, but it was not until the early 19th century that pubs, as they are today, first began to appear. The model also became popular in countries and regions of British influence, where pubs are often still considered to be an important aspect of their [[culture]].<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/482410/public-house |title= Public House|encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica|date = 22 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cronin|first=Michael|author2=O'Connor, Barbara |title= Irish Tourism: image, culture, and identity |editor=Barbara O'Connor|publisher=Channel View Publications|year=2003|series=Tourism and Cultural Change |volume= 1|page=83|isbn= 978-1-873150-53-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLkIW-c4dScC&pg=PA83 |access-date=27 March 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/drinking.htm Australian Drinking Culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109021502/http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/drinking.htm |date=9 November 2020 }} Convict Creations. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref> In many places, especially in villages, pubs are the focal point of local communities. In his 17th-century diary, [[Samuel Pepys]] described the pub as "the heart of England".<ref>{{cite news|title=Editorial {{!}} In praise of ... pubs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/11/pub-companies-debt-dr-johnson|newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221055704/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/11/pub-companies-debt-dr-johnson|archive-date=21 December 2016}}</ref> Pubs have been established in other countries in modern times.

Although the drinks traditionally served include [[draught beer]] and [[cider]], most also sell [[wine]], [[liquor|spirits]], [[tea]], [[coffee]], and [[soft drinks]]. Many pubs offer meals and snacks, and those considered to be [[Gastropub|gastro-pubs]] serve food in a manner akin to a restaurant.

A [[Liquor license|licence]] is required to operate a pub; the licensee is known as the landlord or landlady, or the publican. Often colloquially referred to as their "local" by regular customers,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1v_pDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|page=29|title=The Pub: A Cultural Institution|author-link=Pete Brown|first=Pete|last=Brown|publisher=Jacqui Small LLP|date= 18 August 2016|isbn=9781911127017}}</ref> pubs are typically chosen for their proximity to home or work, good food, social atmosphere, the presence of friends and acquaintances, and the availability of [[pub games]] such as [[darts]], [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]], or [[snooker]]. Pubs often screen sporting events, such as [[Rugby football|rugby]], [[cricket]] and [[Association football|football]]. The [[pub quiz]] was established in the UK in the 1970s.