Editing Pub (section)

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:Joseph Rowntree, Public Houses in Central London, 1899, Cornell, CUL PJM 1134 01.jpg|thumb|1899 map showing number of public houses in a district of central London]]

[[Ale]] was a native British drink before the arrival of the [[Roman Empire]] in the first century, but it was with the construction of the [[Roman road]] network that the first pubs, called ''[[taberna]]e'' (the origin of modern English "[[tavern]]"), began to appear.<ref name="Great British Pub">{{cite web | url = http://www.historic-uk.com/cultureUk/greatBritishpub.htm | title = Great British Pub| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214164923/http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/GreatBritishPub.htm | archive-date = 14 February 2012}}</ref>

After the departure of Roman authority in the fifth century and the fall of the [[Sub-Roman Britain|Romano-British kingdoms]], the [[Anglo-Saxons]] established alehouses that may have grown out of domestic dwellings, first attested in the 10th century. These alehouses quickly evolved into meeting houses for folk to socially congregate, gossip and arrange mutual help within their communities. The [[Wantage Code|Wantage law code]] of [[Æthelred the Unready]] prescribes fines for breaching the peace at meetings held in alehouses.<ref>{{cite book |date=1970 |title=Anglo Saxon England |url=https://archive.org/details/anglosaxonenglan0000sten |url-access=registration |isbn=9780198217169 |first=Frank |last=Stenton }}</ref>

[[File:Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (2).JPG|thumb|[[Ye Olde Fighting Cocks]] in [[St Albans]], Hertfordshire, which once held the [[Guinness World Record]] for the oldest pub in England]]

A traveller in the early [[Middle Ages]] could obtain overnight accommodation in monasteries, but later a demand for hostelries grew with the popularity of [[pilgrimage]]s and travel. The Hostellers of London were granted [[guild]] status in 1446, and in 1514 the guild became the [[Worshipful Company of Innholders]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.innholders.org.uk/about/company-history/ |title=Company History |publisher=Innholders Company |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319083139/https://www.innholders.org.uk/about/company-history/ |archive-date=19 March 2022 |access-date=2 July 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> A survey in 1577 of drinking establishment in England and Wales for taxation purposes<ref>Monckton, Herbert Anthony (1966), [https://books.google.com/books?id=DOuzAAAAIAAJ&q=%221577%22+census+england ''A History of English Ale and Beer''], Bodley Head (p. 101)</ref> recorded 14,202 alehouses, 1,631 inns, and 329 taverns, representing one pub for every 187 people.<ref>{{cite book |title=Historical evolution of alcohol consumption in society |last1=Hanson |first1=David J |editor7-first=Jürgen |editor7-last=Rehm |editor6-first=Witold |editor6-last=Zatonski |editor5-first=Otis |editor5-last=Brawley |editor4-first=Harry |editor4-last=Burns |editor3-first=Albert B |editor3-last=Lowenfels |editor2-first=Paolo |editor2-last=Boffetta |editor1-first=Peter |editor1-last=Boyle |date=May 2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press Scholarship Online|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199655786.001.0001 |isbn=9780199655786 }}</ref>

===Inns===
{{Main|Inn}}
[[File:Jan Steen Peasants before an Inn.jpg|thumb|''Peasants before an Inn'' by Dutch artist [[Jan Steen]] c. 1653]]

Inns are buildings where travellers can seek [[lodging]] and, usually, food and drink. They are typically located in the country or along a highway. In Europe, they possibly first sprang up when the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] built [[Roman road|a system of roads]] two [[millennia]] ago.<ref>{{cite news |title=8 Ways Roads Helped Rome Rule the Ancient World |url=https://www.history.com/news/8-ways-roads-helped-rome-rule-the-ancient-world |work=HISTORY.com |date=29 August 2018 |access-date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224233314/https://www.history.com/news/8-ways-roads-helped-rome-rule-the-ancient-world |archive-date=24 December 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some inns in Europe are several centuries old. In addition to providing for the needs of travellers, inns traditionally acted as community gathering places.

In Europe, it is the provision of accommodation,<ref>[http://www.pub-rooms.co.uk/ Pub Rooms, pub accommodation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128220034/http://pub-rooms.co.uk/ |date=28 January 2016 }}.</ref> if anything, that now distinguishes inns from [[tavern]]s, alehouses and pubs. The latter tend to provide alcohol (and, in the UK, soft drinks and often food), but less commonly accommodation. Inns tend to be older and grander establishments: historically they provided not only food and lodging, but also [[Stable|stabling]] and [[fodder]] for travellers' horses, and on some roads fresh horses for the [[mail coach]].

Famous London inns include [[the George, Southwark]] and [[the Tabard]]. There is, however, no longer a formal distinction between an inn and other kinds of establishment. Many pubs use "Inn" in their name, either because they are long established former [[coaching inn]]s, or to summon up a particular kind of image, or in many cases simply as a [[pun]] on the word "in".

The original services of an inn are now also available at other establishments. Hotels, lodges, and [[motel]]s focus more on lodging customers than on other services but usually provide meals. Pubs are primarily alcohol-serving establishments. Restaurants and taverns serve food and drink. In North America, the lodging aspect of the word "inn" lives on in hotel brand names like [[Holiday Inn]], and in some state laws that refer to lodging operators as innkeepers.

The [[Inns of Court]] and [[Inns of Chancery]] in London started as ordinary inns where [[barrister]]s met to do business, but became institutions of the [[legal profession]] in [[England and Wales]].

===Advent of the modern pub===
[[File:Goldfinger Tavern, Newburgh Place, Highworth (geograph 2306704).jpg|thumb|right|Goldfinger Tavern, [[Highworth]], an example of a mid-20th-century [[flat-roofed pub]]]]
Pubs as we know them today first appeared in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2019/03/05/How-did-historic-alehouses-taverns-and-inns-evolve-into-the-pubs-we-see-today|title= How did historic alehouses taverns and inns evolve into the pubs we see today?|work= Morning Advertiser|date= 5 March 2019}}</ref> Before this time alehouses were largely indistinguishable from private houses and the poor standard of rural roads meant that, away from the larger towns, the only beer available was often brewed by the publican himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/9qVj08mAiJ/|title= The Oxford Companion to Beer definition of public houses (pubs)|work= Craft Beer and Brewing}}</ref> With the arrival of the [[Industrial Revolution]], many areas of the United Kingdom were transformed by a surge in industrial activity and rapid population growth. There was huge demand for beer and for venues where the public could engage in social interaction, but there was also intense competition for customers.

Gin houses and palaces became increasingly popular, while the [[Beerhouse Act 1830]] caused a proliferation of beerhouses. By the mid-19th century, pubs were widely purpose-built, and could incorporate architectural features that distinguished them from private houses to make them stand out from the competition. Many existing public houses were also redeveloped at this time, borrowing features from other building types and gradually developing the characteristics that make pubs instantly recognisable today. In particular, and contrary to the intentions of the Beerhouse Act, many drew inspiration from the gin houses and palaces.

Bar counters had been an early adoption, but ornate mirrors, etched glass, polished brass fittings and lavishly tiled surfaces were all features that had first made their appearance in gin houses. Innovations such as the introduction of hand pumps (or [[beer engines]]) allowed more people to be served, faster, while technological advances in the brewing industry and improved transportation links made it possible for breweries to deliver beer far from where it was brewed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Haydon |first=Peter |year=1994 |title=The English Pub, A History |publisher=[[Robert Hale Limited]] |location=London |isbn=9-780709-056942 |pages=197–220}}</ref>

===Tied house system===
{{see also|Pub chain|Tied house}}

The latter half of the 19th century saw increased competition within the brewing industry and, in an attempt to secure markets for their own products, breweries began rapidly buying local pubs and directly employing publicans to run them. Although some tied houses had existed in larger British towns since the 17th century, this represented a fundamental shift in the way that many pubs were operated and the period is now widely regarded as the birth of the tied house system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lasopaben773.weebly.com/greene-king-retail-staff-handbook.html|title= Greene King|work= Staff handbook}}</ref>

Decreasing numbers of [[Free house (pub)|free houses]] and difficulties in obtaining new licences meant a continual expansion of their tied estates was the only feasible way for breweries to generate new trade. By the end of the century more than 90 per cent of public houses in England were owned by breweries, and the only practical way brewers could now grow their tied estates was to turn on each other.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/x9Kdc4PlhJ/ |title=The Tied House System |work=Craft Beer and Brewing}}</ref> Buy-outs and amalgamations became commonplace, and by the end of the 1980s there were only six large brewers left in the UK, collectively known as the Big Six; [[Allied Breweries|Allied]], [[Bass Brewery|Bass]], [[Courage Brewery|Courage]], [[Grand Metropolitan]], [[Scottish & Newcastle]] and [[Whitbread]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmtrdind/128/12805.htm|title= House of Commons Select Committee on Trade and Industry report|publisher= Parliament of the United Kingdom|access-date= 29 April 2020|archive-date= 6 August 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200806114141/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmtrdind/128/12805.htm|url-status= dead}}</ref>

In an attempt to increase the number of free houses, by forcing the big breweries to sell their tied houses, the Government introduced [[the Beer Orders]] in 1989. The result, however, was that the Big Six melted away into other sectors; selling their brewing assets and spinning off their tied houses, largely into the hands of branded pub chains, called pubcos. As these were not brewers, they were not governed by the Beer Orders and tens of thousands of pubs remain tied, much in the same way that they had been previously. In reality, government interference did very little to improve Britain's tied house system and all its large breweries are now in the hands of foreign or multi-national companies.<ref>{{cite book | last=Spicer | first=J. | last2=Thurman | first2=C. | last3=Walters | first3=J. | last4=Ward | first4=Simon | title=Intervention in the Modern UK Brewing Industry | publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]| publication-place=Basingstoke| date=2011-12-06 | isbn=978-0-230-29857-6 |pages=152–164}}</ref>

=== Decline in Britain ===
[[File:The Red Lion being demolished - geograph.org.uk - 900911.jpg|thumb|The Red Lion, a pub in [[Nottingham]], being demolished in 2008]]

The number of pubs in the UK has declined year on year at least since 1982.<ref name="BBPA">British Beer and Pub Association – Statistics, {{cite web |title=UK Beer Market |url=http://www.beerandpub.com/statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124133934/http://www.beerandpub.com/statistics |archive-date=24 November 2014 |access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> Various reasons are put forward for this, such as the failure of some establishments to keep up with customer requirements.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 August 2013 |title=4000 pubs stuck in the 1980s |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/4000-pubs-stuck-1980s-likely-5798582 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016024950/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/4000-pubs-stuck-1980s-likely-5798582 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref> Others claim the [[Smoking bans in the United Kingdom|smoking ban of 2007]], intense competition from gastro-pubs, the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets or the general economic climate are either to blame, or are factors in the decline.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 August 2010 |title=Last orders for struggling Welsh pubs |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11087891 |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016024951/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11087891 |archive-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> Changes in demographics may be an additional factor.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 March 2015 |title=Why are British pubs closing down? (video) |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31761269 |url-status=live |access-date=1 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522030922/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31761269 |archive-date=22 May 2015}}</ref> In 2015 the rate of pub closures came under the scrutiny of Parliament in the UK, with a promise of legislation to improve relations between owners and tenants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pub companies, pub tenants & pub closures: recent developments – Commons Library Standard Note |url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN07074/pub-companies-pub-tenants-pub-closures-recent-developments |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227065542/http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN07074/pub-companies-pub-tenants-pub-closures-recent-developments |archive-date=27 February 2015 |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref> The Lost Pubs Project listed 42,519 closed English pubs on 6 August 2023, with photographs of over 29,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lost Pubs Project |url=https://www.closedpubs.co.uk/ |access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> In the fifteen years to 2017 a quarter of London's pubs had closed. The closures have been ascribed to factors such as changing tastes and a rise in the cost of beer due to tax increases. Some London boroughs where there has been an increase in [[British Muslim]] population—[[Islam]] forbids alcohol to its adherents—have seen a high amount of closures.<ref>{{cite news |date=24 August 2017 |title=Why London's pubs are disappearing |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21727076-quarter-citys-alehouses-have-closed-past-15-years-why-londons-pubs-are |url-status=live |access-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825145930/https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21727076-quarter-citys-alehouses-have-closed-past-15-years-why-londons-pubs-are |archive-date=25 August 2017|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The industry suffered a major decline from 2020, due to reduced trade during the [[Covid pandemic]], followed by the [[2021–present United Kingdom cost of living crisis|wave of inflation]] that increased prices. By June 2022, pub numbers in England and Wales had fallen to a record low of 39,970, a loss of 7,000 in 10 years.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 July 2022 |title=Pub numbers fall to lowest on record |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62031833 |access-date=5 July 2022}}</ref> Pubs also found it difficult to hire enough staff, with 142,000 jobs unfilled in the accommodation and food services sector by 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 July 2022 |title=Pub numbers fall to lowest on record |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62031833 |access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> Figures published in 2023 showed that the rate of pub loss, equivalent to two closures a day, was increasing and that 39,404 pubs in England and Wales remained open at the end of June.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC News|last=Slow|first=Oliver|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66839984|title=Two pubs a day disappearing in England and Wales|date=18 September 2023|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>