1970's pubs

[Danny]

Weren't they brill ?
Men in the public bar
Women in the snug and courting couples / marrieds in the lounge

When sex equality act came it there were more divorces cos married blokes suddenly found themselves surrounded by women , before that you only saw a married bloke in a lounge bar with his wife , otherwise you new he was heading for an affair. They were allowed out by 'er indoors as long as they stayed in public bars all night

[sixtyten]

Re: 1970's pubs

Sounds awful

[kass]

Re: 1970's pubs

In the 70's, if I stayed the weekend with my Gran, we used to pay a visit to the off-sales bit of her local. She'd take the shopping trolley for my Gt Gran's weekly fix of brown ale and she'd sit and have half a mild while her empty bottle of sherry was refilled. I'd have a bag of crisps and a bottle of pop with a straw in.
If we ever went to the pub with the parents we'd be left outside with a bottle of pop and crisps (brought from home).

[sixtyten]

Re: 1970's pubs

As my parents are not drinkers, I was never taken to the pub.
I do recall sitting in the beer garden of one once in 1973, drinking Cherryade.The only contact I had with beer/bars in the 70's was at holiday camps. I can remember standing outside smoky rooms I wasn't allowed into, and a piano was always playing

[sixtyten]

Re: 1970's pubs

Sounds like something out of 'Green Door'

[Heather74]

Re: 1970's pubs

LOL Nutter!!!

[Mulletino]

Re: 1970's pubs

My parents didn't really go to pubs either so they were magical places of mystery to me as a kid. Most of the ones round our way had those old fashioned windows with the round bits in and you couldn't see in, nothing like the poncey places you get now. On a weekend they'd always smell of stale beer outside. I'd often walk past and try to see inside to see what they were like.
We'd visit the "club" at holiday camps though, although I spent most of my time downstairs in the arcades (well at Neptunes Palace anyway).

I miss English pubs.

[chilligrape]

Re: 1970's pubs

At the risk of sounding 'old'!! Don't you wish pubs were like that now? I work in one and I hate to kids running round them. We were NEVER allowed in a pub.

[pedro]

Re: 1970's pubs

I remember them times Danny, don't know if I would call them brill though? The first bar I ever ventured into did have spitoons and saw dust on the floor, men only in the bar women in the lounge( but they were loose according to my Mum) Shutting in the afternoon and last orders at 10. Still no binge drinkers then

[marc]

Re: 1970's pubs

Looking at this thread brings back a memory @1976/7. Though not a pub, it was a working men's club.

It was a Saturday afternoon. I was with a group of friends, all of us aged 9/10 years old. All my friends had 10p, I didn't. They decided to buy a packet of crisps and a couple of sweets. ( the kind of sweets half pence each, five for two pence.) Knowing my father and grandfather were in the club, I decided to "call in" and ask for 10p. My friends stood at the bottom of the steps has I boldly walked in through the door. Has I poked my head around the corner of the bar, there was sudden uproar. "WOW!!! WHAT DO YOU WANT!", "WHAT'S GOING ON!!!", "SOMETHING'S WRONG!!!". There were shouts and a commotion from just about everybody. Then one man came over. I explained to him that I was looking for my father. My father was sat on a table next to the door, but could not see me. Like everybody else, he was now wondering what the commotion was all about. He then saw me. The commotion was over. I duly asked for 10p. Everybody was now smiling. "Give him 10p." Several of them laughed. I got my 10p.

My father was not too happy about it at the time. He gave me a right lecture when he got home. Years later we would laugh about it.

Now it seems take your kids with you while you have a booze up...............

[amethyst]

Re: 1970's pubs

I think some pubs had a family snug where you could take children.But now they have a play area out the back pub food means kids are allowed even have dog friendly places these days,especially for holidaymakers

[DSCOMAN]

Re: 1970's pubs

I blame the 'common market' we are all TOO European now......

Pubs used to be cool smokey places with big knobbly glasses and landlords in cardigans smoking pipes.
You could buy peanuts (Big D) hung off a card picture of a scantily clad lady- some men used to buy them just to see a bit more of her
NO one armed bandits, music or kids.
And a lot had 'off licences' - usually a tiny room from the street with a counter...and the staff would serve bottles and crisps....and even fill up your own bottles or jugs of draught beer.
The great picture mirrors with the brewers name on behind the bar, and the grill outside where the draymen used to roll barrels down to the cellar- used to fascinate us kids....the lovely smell, coming up through the grills and the discarded bottle tops down there. Before they were replaced with sheet metal covers.

[amethyst]

Re: 1970's pubs

When we visited a pub recently in Cornwall for sunday lunch I said to my husband look,they had those scampi fries on the cardboard hanging up.It was an old traditional pub and cosy

[staffslad]

Re: 1970's pubs

In the 70s my aunt and uncle ran a working men's club part-time. As you went through the main door there were double doors leading into a large room that acted as a bar and no kids were allowed in there. To the left of those doors was another door that led directly behind the bar for the bar staff. As kids we would knock on the door and my aunt, uncle or someone else would open it and sell us or often give us bottles of pop and little snacks: 4 Cadbury's fingers in a packet, 2 Ritz cheese sandwich crackers again in a little packet and the ubiquitous crisps. I have so many happy memories of playing out on warm summer nights then calling at the WMC for pop and a snack. I would always offer the money to pay but often it was waved away--good times

[Twocky61]

Re: 1970's pubs

The good old days = Long before the advent of Wetherspoons