Notebook spread
3 years ago
16.9.04
Letter: Nan Tuck's tavern: there should be a law against changing pub names! And removing beer pumps! And charging over three quid a pint for p*ssy continental young-person's lager! And removing all flock wallpaper, plush, carpets and comfy chairs that used to absorb the sound of chattering! And having resident DJs to add more noise! Don't get me started...
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The former Cuture Secretary, Chris Smith, seemed to agree with those who object to the frequent name changes of local pubs, when the issue was briefly discussed in Parliament in 2000: "Consulting a pub's regulars and the wider local community before renaming it would not seem too much to ask."
Full Hansard entry below...
Heritage Initiatives
14. Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South): What steps he is taking to support local heritage initiatives. [128210]
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr. Chris Smith): We welcome the heritage lottery fund's decision to make local heritage one of its four main priorities. It has committed £8 million to its local heritage initiative, which is designed to help local communities to investigate, explain and care for their landscape, landmarks, traditions and culture.
Mr. Chapman: I thank and congratulate my right hon. Friend. What role does he envisage for the local pub in any local heritage initiative?
Mr. Smith: My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the role of the British pub as an integral part of the local heritage in many parts of the country. Not only buildings but the names of pubs often reflect local history or events. Many pubs have changed their names for various reasons over the years, but there appears to be a growing fashion of rebranding pubs with names such as "The Dog and Doughnut" or "The Goose and Granite"--names which appear to have little relevance to the history of any area.
We are surely in danger of losing an important part of local history and folk memory. It is up to the owners of a business to choose its name, but I hope that breweries will bear in mind the unique historic role that many of our public houses have and think twice before destroying that
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link with the past. Certainly, consulting a pub's regulars and the wider local community before renaming it would not seem too much to ask.
Mr. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold): I am pleased to hear that the Secretary of State is so keen on pub names. Will he undertake some research and tell us how many pubs are called "The Spinner", as that might be of some benefit to the Labour party?
Mr. Smith: I suspect that the number is similar to that of pubs named "The Silly Question".
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