Wednesday 5th January 2011
English Traditions as Portrayed on Pub Signs, by David Roe
David Roe is Editor of the Inns Signs Society journal as well as being a member of the Merton Historical Society. Having overcome a few technical difficulties at the beginning of his presentation, he prefaced his talk by emphasizing that this was a talk about the traditions behind English pub names and their signs which he would illustrate with slides, mainly of present day pubs and inns.
English pubs have been a centre of community life in towns and villages for centuries and people have been drinking ale since before Roman times. Pictorial signs are a symbol of the traditional English pub, and they are themselves an English tradition. The pictures on signs can tell us something about our history and our customs.
In the past, many people could not read and write and streets were not numbered as they are today. Locations were often identified by using pubs, churches or shop signs (we no doubt all remember pawnbrokers’ signs, chemists’ coloured glass flasks and barbers’ striped poles etc.). Directions were usually given by referring to these buildings and in fact we still use them as reference points today.
The Happy Man at Englefield Green depicts the English man as a heavy drinker. Men working in the fields would drink up to 30 pints of ale a day, although the beer was weaker than today. Brewing used to be carried out by ladies until the Middle Ages and was the ‘2nd’ oldest profession.
David showed us signs from The Jolly Farmer, Gloucester, Shepherd and Flock, Runfold, Surrey, Squire and Horse, Bury, Sussex and The Hunters all having associations with the countryside.
There were references to our naval history, Wooden Walls referring to Oak ships, The Trafalgar pub at Gosport and of course its association with Nelson. Beachy Head which reminded us of the white cliffs of Dover, a welcome site for those returning from Europe, especially during the second world war and Tall Ships, Gloucester which David followed with the poem by John Masefield:
I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky
And all I ask is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by
And the wheel’s kick and the wing’s song and the white sail’s shaking
And a grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn breaking.
David also showed us the John Masefield at New Ferry, Merseyside. The pub was nicknamed the Adolph because of the likeness of the former poet laureate to Hitler on the pub’s sign.
Charles the 2nd Earl Grey, Northfleet, Kent, now associated with tea drinking, The Duke of Wellington, Portobello Road and Churchill, Ambleside, Lake District are all names of prime ministers after whom pubs have been named. David observed however that very few appear to have been used since Churchill and suggested that perhaps later p.m.’s names would not be popular.
Other signs included John Bull, Chiswick High Road, Shakespeare’s Head, Carnaby Street, George and the Dragon, Salisbury, Ramblers Rest, Chislehurst, Gardeners Arms, Altrincham, Sugar Loaf, Luton, Sir Isaac Newton, Cambridge, Railway Inn, Moira, Leicester, The Ducking Stool also Hung, Drawn and Quartered, London, The Jolly Taxpayer, next to the tax office in Portsmouth and humorous signs including The Grapes at Melksham which shows a banana on one side of the sign.
David concluded with The Cricketers opposite the cricket green at Mitcham. A very fitting ending at a time when the England cricket team are having great success against the Aussies in Australia. The pub has unfortunately gone the same way as many and has recently closed.
The British Queen, Isle of Sheppey shows Queen Elizabeth I, although the term ‘Britain’ did not exist at the time. David quoted her famous saying that begins “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman but I have the heart and stomach of a king”.
Several members asked questions at the end including what is the most common pub sign. David said that The Red Lion was a strong contender but that no specific survey has been made and with so many pubs closing coupled with some name changes, it is not possible to gauge numbers. He also thought that The Crown would be another strong contender.
John Mills thanked David for his talk and was pleased that so many Young’s pubs had featured in the presentation. He also made humorous reference to pub signs appearing to be blurred (one of the effects of drink) during the difficulties that David experienced whilst setting up the projector. Members showed their appreciation in the usual way with a generous round of applause.
Pat Hunt, Jan 2011
Please note:- All photographs on this page are by kind permission of David Roe who holds the copyright, do NOT use without his permission.
