Extra special Pubs in my life

I'm not really a pub person - unless it involves a meal. I was surprised, though, when a man friend/potential partner seemed to navigate by pubs on any trip out.

Whether going by car, train or taxi, he'd know exactly where all the pubs were (and their names) for what seemed like all of London.

It should have rung alarm bells at the time - and yes, he liked a drink or ten!

When I was a child I felt pubs were so unmentionable I was too embarrassed to even look at the ones I had to pass in the town centre, and averted my gaze . I was sure pubs were inhabited by terrible frightening drunk men.

De Barra, Clonakilty.

And here's an article about it:
www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/i-always-think-of-de-barra-s-as-a-pocket-of-resistance-1.3218462%3fmode=amp

The Olde White Hart in Hull's Old Town. Scene of the plotting chamber denial of entry to the King in the Civil War. Hull is well worth a visit with its maritime heritage, amazing Old Town, Marina, submarine The Deep, museums and Hull Truck Theatre.

submarium! Text thinks it knows best

Dec46
Loved the Axe and Compass in Worth Matravers where we 'called in ' while touring south west in the seventies.
While there purchased a raffle ticket for a local charity but not know if we had won anything wanting to go further on during our tour. Sitting in the sun and several' scrumpys' later our plans not as intended we decided to go into the pub for a pasty and found we had won a box of After Eights in the raffle. Happy days and although I was to move to the south west twenty years later have never wanted to revisit places that hold so many memories.

Hull has some fantastic old pubs with a lot of history. Minerva is one of my favourites

The Bookbinders Arms, Oxford (long gone, alas!).

The Travellers' Friend (the Spivs) Woodford Green, back in the Sixties.

The Plough, Lippitts Hill, Epping Forest, where I proposed to DW (now a private house with a new Plough round the corner).

The King's Head, E4 (within civilized walking distance for the last umpteen years).

And of course the White Horse, Neatishead.

Not to forget Ye Olde Watling in the City.

If Prufrock had measured out his life in pubs rather than coffee spoons, he might have been a happier man.

The London Inn, Molland, on Exmoor. It's fabulous.

The Bull in Mobberley, Cheshire. Absolutely wonderful, warm and welcoming !

Cockley Cley, lovely old Pub.

The Stapleton on Stapleton Hall Road in north London. It was probably a bit of a dive, but we used to go there every Monday night, when we were in our early 20’s.
A great jazz/blues band called Big Chief, played every Monday. We used to drink pints of lager, eat bags of cheese and onion crisps and dance all night to the fantastic music.
We loved it. ???

I recall my sister had friends visiting and she and her partner took them to the Stapleton one night. They came back saying they had had a dreadful evening, the audience had been really rowdy, jumping around and spitting (!) and the band had been awful, they were called the Sex Pistols ...

I love George's Meeting House here in Exeter. It was built in 1760 (the year of the coronation of George III) as a Presbyterian chapel. It was sold in 1987 and first became an antiques centre before being sold to JD Wetherspoon, who re-opened it as a pub in 2005, preserving many of the original features. It's so beautiful inside and out with the original stained glass windows and pulpit. Bonus is cheap beer!

The Mason's Arms at Gargrave, N York's; the Wheatsheaf at Onneley, Cheshire and the Black Cock at Broughton in Furness - all lovely, cosy real ale pubs serving wonderful food and offering comfortable accommodation. OH and I have enjoyed many happy times at all of them.

Nortsac - I lived on Stapleton Hall road for first few years of my marriage. I think I saw my first punk band in Stapleton Hall Tavern. Since then it’s had a lot of different names.

When I worked near Charing Cross the Ship and Shovel was our haunt at lunch times. It was under the arches off Villiers Street. They served submarine rolls full of Bacon and Mushroom - delicious. The other super pub was the Salisbury in St Martins Lane. We had a regular ladies night in the back room when about 10 of us met. It has hardly changed at all.

It would not bother me if every pub in the land closed down . We never go anywhere near one .

I’m a fan of the Old White Hart in Hull, closely followed by the Black Boy.

The Free Trade, Newcastle. Purely for the view. (Not my photograph, but it is always a stunning view from the main window).

Reading all these stories about The Olde Ship (Seahouses) is making me feel really sad (in a happy kind of way) .

The pub always attracts some really great characters including quite a few writers who just sit there hoping to pick up a good story and my goodness there are a lot of stories to be had .

What I wouldn’t give to go back in time..... but I don’t think I could visit again. Just too sad as we ended up almost giving our caravan away we were so desperate for the money .

Aaah the beautiful bridges GagaJo

Two on the eastcoast- Both had good food! And another that was attached to a bowling alley and had live music-