This is an old’un, but a good’un that I just found again. It’s from a something called the Social Issues Research Centre in the UK. A few years back it published a report called Passport to the Pub: A guide to British pub etiquette. It was apparently commissioned to do so by the UK brewer’s association, so read into that what you care to. And I’ve since seen SIRC quoted defending the brewing industry whene the UK’s binge drinking problem is brought up, which it has been a fair bit this past year. Anyway, this is a section on pubs you find on housing estates and its reflects the somewhat toungue-in-cheek nature of the rest of the report, which is worth reading (if you have any interest in British pub culture):
Estate pubs tend to be functional rather than aesthetically pleasing. You will not find any pretty, quaint, old-fashioned estate pubs, for the obvious reason that most estates, and their pubs, were built after World War Two. The estate pub is usually a large building, and decidedly utilitarian in appearance, although it may well be hung about with banners and posters advertising forthcoming events or promotions. Do not be put off by the exterior. If you wanted a glossy-guidebook pub, you would not have come this far.
Estate pubs are not to everyones taste, but visitors with a genuine curiosity about British life and culture will find much to capture their interest. Most tourists do not have the opportunity to spend time in the homes of ordinary natives: the estate pub is as close as you will get to a behind-the-scenery perspective on Britain.
Advice: If you get into conversation with an estate-pub regular, you would be wise to refrain from commenting on the appearance or behaviour of other people in the pub, as you may well be talking to their uncle, cousin or mother-in-law!”
And here’s a classic example, the Lord Nelson in Union Street, Southwark, London SE1, which we passed on a trip there back in 2002:
