The Interesting History Of Uk Pub Signs

By Author: Mohammad Shahid
Total Articles: 3
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The United Kingdom is close to unique in that it has what we call pubs, or public houses. These are retail premises offering a range of services, but all of them centred on being a place in which to have an alcoholic drink, and while away the hours. A pub is a pace in which to relax, have fun with your mates, a laugh and a joke or six, and just generally – in the terminology of the 21st century – chill out.

Of course, in many other countries – some, such as Saudi Arabia, excluded, but that is by their choice – there are bars where you can do much the same thing, but there is nothing quite like the pub in the UK. It is unique in that in many you can still sit in front of a log fire and warm yourself on a cold winters day – although not for much longer if the latest regulations about “climate change” or “global warming” or whatever it is called this week, come into force.

Nonetheless, the British pub has been here for centuries, and will continue to be – along with the names of these historic institutions, and the signs that depict them.

Pub signs have been around since the days of the ...
... Romans. In ancient Rome, wine bars used to hang out bunches of vine leaves outside in order to indicate their business, but when the Romans got to Britain, they found a distinct lack of vines (they should have waited a couple of thousand years). Instead, they hung out bushes to show the inns, and even today you have pub signs such as The Old Bull and Bush.

Pub signage in many cities in Scotland including Edinburgh includes The Old Sheep Heid by Duddington Loch which, according to its website, used to be a firm favourite with monarchs and poets in times gone past, including Mary Queen of Scots if you believe the history. It dates from 1360 and the name was obviously a reference to local farming at the time. Then you have other pubs such as The Pear Tree and the Harbour Inn, both of which are named for obvious reasons as well. You have the Bow Bar which has a polished wood bar and gleaming beer taps that are 100 years old.

Of course, there are many other pubs with signs that indicate their history and/or patronage, such as The Anchor, The Ship, and so on. There are also pub signs such as The King’s Head and The Crown which show allegiance to the king of the time, often King Henry VIII. Of course, there is also the Queen Anne, the Queen Victoria (see East Enders), and one in Broadstairs in Kent devoted to Queen Victoria’s husband, the Prince Albert. Right opposite is another pub called Ye Olde Crown.

You have the Lord Nelson, the Wellington, and even the Dick Turpin. Lots of pubs are named the Cock Inn and refer to the fact that the pub was once a venue for cock fighting. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans claims to be the oldest pub in Britain.

Then you have the Dog and Duck (there is one in a village called Pluck’s Gutter in Kent) which refers to hunting, and the Bird in the Hand which is a nod to falconry. The Bear denotes bear baiting, and the Bull and Dog bull baiting.

Local trades would often be referred to in pub signs, such as the Bricklayer’s Arms, the Saddler’s, the Cooper’s, and the Golden Fleece, which is a reflection of the wool trade.

Then in Malmesbury in Wiltshire is The Flying Monk. This refers to a local monk who claimed that his faith was so strong that he could fly. He jumped from the top of the Abbey tower to prove it. Er, right.

There is even a story that the London coach changed horses at the Bull Inn in Stony Stratford, East London, and the Birmingham coach did so at the Cock Inn opposite. Travellers waiting for the change would chat and swap news, and according to legend, this is where the phrase “cock and bull story” is said to have originated. And if you believe that………….well, why not?