Summer drinking
With summer comes sun and warmer weather - at least in theory. A great opportunity to have an alfresco drink in one of the UK's pub gardens. The pub (short for public house) is one of the UK's great traditions and every pub has its own name and a pub sign.

The most common pub names in the UK are 'The Crown' and the 'Red Lion'. ‘The Crown’ has obvious Royal provenance and the ‘Red Lion’ was the badge of both John of Gaunt in the 14th century and of James I, who became King of a united England and Scotland in 1603.

A burning ass?
But there are plenty of more interesting and obscure names. How about 'The Sociable Plover' or 'The Donkey on Fire'? The origins of some names are lost in the mists of history. Others are more modern. 'The Pipe and Gannex' in Huyton for example refers to the pipe and Gannex raincoat always associated with the former Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was MP for the town.

'The Inn Next Door Burnt Down’ is self-explanatory. Another strange name is 'Doctor Syntax'. This is named after a prolific winning racehorse of the 19th century. Stalybridge, a small town near Manchester has the distinction of having pubs with both the shortest and longest names in the UK. 'Q' and 'The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn' respectively.

A generous General
One less obvious but quite common name is ‘Marquis of Granby’. This refers to a British army commander of the 18th century who was known for his generosity. He gave many of his ex-soldiers money to set themselves up as pub landlords and the pubs were named in his honour. Another interesting name is 'The Quiet Woman'. One pub's sign with this name shows a woman carrying her own severed head. The implication being that women are only quiet when they're dead! Surely this can't be true? A trend in recent years has been for pubs to revert to their original historical names. As one MP commented, 'Many local and traditional names have long, historic connections and are well-liked locally'. So who's for a pint in the Poosy Nancies?

Magnus
June 2005

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