tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post8395277006024693681..comments2024-03-28T17:11:52.333+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: DisarmedCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-20427556556383734672022-08-14T18:03:08.450+01:002022-08-14T18:03:08.450+01:00"It has been knocked through into one room, t..."It has been knocked through into one room, the original bar counters have gone, warm wood tones have been replaced by pastel grey, and the carpet, frosted glass windows and cosy alcoves of bench seating have disappeared. I took a couple of photos of the interior in 2016 which provide a good comparison with how it is now."<br /><br />The tragedy continues.James Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525082702330365464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-51600707000942535472022-08-13T15:00:46.567+01:002022-08-13T15:00:46.567+01:00Vanishingly few unspoilt pub interiors survive fro...Vanishingly few unspoilt pub interiors survive from before the Victorian era, so they're not there to be cherished in the first place. Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-31242231512248378222022-08-13T13:49:08.386+01:002022-08-13T13:49:08.386+01:00Yet there are people who find merit in travelling ...Yet there are people who find merit in travelling in steam hauled trains despite modern high speed electric traction being fast, more comfortable and cheaper.<br />And people who find merit in driving sixty year old ICE carsdespite modern EVs being far better.<br /><br />And hospitality isn't just about meeting the tastes of the current generation, else cruise ships wouldn't be so lucrative a business. And SAGA travel would be out of businessdcbwhaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02585310584555592882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-72457365633984240912022-08-12T07:36:55.158+01:002022-08-12T07:36:55.158+01:00In the history of the British pub, what is it abou...In the history of the British pub, what is it about the Victorian and Edwardian era ascetic that cries for preservation? It was certainly an era of capital investment in infrastructure. Something lacking today and no doubt part of our current economic malaise. Much of that infrastructure remains but it is preserved for its utility not ascetic. We keep the bridges and water pipes of that era because they were built to last not because they look nice. The pub has a far longer history. The Victorians were as happy to destroy their past as they were to build their future. Hence the era preceding them is more preserved in art than infrastructure. There are no medieval pubs treasured for the authentic smell of horse manure and dirt and lack of toilet plumbing.<br /><br />And yet a commercial business based on hospitality and requiring the custom of the current generation is deemed ruined if designed with their tastes in mind. As if there is merit in a design that suited the tastes of the old and the long dead. Very odd indeed.<br />A bag of wositsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-70217118839032583682022-08-09T15:33:29.984+01:002022-08-09T15:33:29.984+01:00Is it possible some people actually like the new s...Is it possible some people actually like the new styling, however unlikely that is ?<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-3097750119799664672022-08-08T15:19:14.446+01:002022-08-08T15:19:14.446+01:00I think it's more whether any increased trade ...I think it's more whether any increased trade will give an acceptable rate of return on their investment.<br /><br />There is also the question of wider reputational damage. It's now got to the stage that your heart sinks every time you hear that Robinson's are refurbishing a pub.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-31428424105192217552022-08-08T14:22:55.821+01:002022-08-08T14:22:55.821+01:00You don't like it, I don't like it, but wi...You don't like it, I don't like it, but will it increase trade. That's the only test for Robinson's ( I bet it doesn't).<br /><br />It's 20 years ago this summer I did my first proper exploration of Stockport's pubs (Armoury, Spread Eagle, Tiviot, Red Bull, Crown and Olde Vic from memory). Startlingly different from Cambridge. Stocky still has good pubs, and great beer (possibly better than 2002), but it's lost some of difference.retiredmartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15429804437739227082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-53710719004040583952022-08-08T10:05:58.919+01:002022-08-08T10:05:58.919+01:00St Omer is still a cheap euro fizz factory. Asda s...St Omer is still a cheap euro fizz factory. Asda sourcing their beer from them is just a way of adding some continental authenticity to their brand without any additional cost.electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-82140640345404950142022-08-08T10:02:39.105+01:002022-08-08T10:02:39.105+01:00If you follow the 'logic' in the Twitter r...If you follow the 'logic' in the Twitter response about change, then there wouldn't be an historic or characterful pub in existence. Sympathetic change is key. This looks like Greene King have molested it. Robinsons would do well to remember that they should be distinguishing their pubs from the corporate clones, not hiding amongst them and playing the same tune.electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-37242734138166738822022-08-07T21:54:51.179+01:002022-08-07T21:54:51.179+01:00"Pubs are the people's stately homes"..."Pubs are the people's stately homes" - I like that! <br /><br />What Robbies have done to The Armoury and others is vandalism. I was in Ulverston yesterday for the first time in about 20 years. There were three Robinsons pubs with the new, boring grey and copper frontage, which looked rather brash for Ulverston. At least one of these used to be a Hartley's house I'm sure; I remember their simple, clear white front walls and plain signage. On the positive side all three pubs were heaving at about 5pm, and the non-Robinsons pubs were quiet. Andynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-87461706550647227432022-08-07T20:45:53.903+01:002022-08-07T20:45:53.903+01:00James seems to be a snowflake.James seems to be a snowflake.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10603987317820861401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-53344362127660745102022-08-07T20:34:41.508+01:002022-08-07T20:34:41.508+01:00Thanks for the refollow. I've removed the comm...Thanks for the refollow. I've removed the comment. Further investigation suggests the Asda Biere de Luxe is actually 4.0%, but it is brewed in France by St. Omer and is pitched somewhat up market from the other lagers it was being compared with, which is reflected in its price. I don't feel the need to debate everything to the death on Twitter, but if you feel you were being ignored then I apologise. Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-54851234027667214442022-08-07T20:02:31.140+01:002022-08-07T20:02:31.140+01:00I didn't unfollow because of that.You posted a...I didn't unfollow because of that.You posted a link to a comparison of supermarket lager and said that it wasn't a fair comparison because Asda is 4.2%,which it isnt.I politely pointed out the error but you couldn't be bothered to acknowledge it.Petty,I accept.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-48137833677645483512022-08-07T17:28:37.776+01:002022-08-07T17:28:37.776+01:00Change for change's sake. I would've just ...Change for change's sake. I would've just updated the carpet.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10603987317820861401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-74958167182580660062022-08-07T17:12:11.889+01:002022-08-07T17:12:11.889+01:00I've long had a problem with pubcos doing the ...I've long had a problem with pubcos doing the corporate, bland makeover on a traditional pub; Greene King also had the habit- a Farrow & Ball-a-like green paint etc. The problem is that it looks up-to-date now but quickly ages and looks tired, where the more traditional look stays pretty timeless: I was in a pub in Bloxwich a few weeks ago (not the really well-known timewarp one, either), and if you'd taken down the jukebox and changed the pulls/taps, it could have been anything from 1920s onwards, and it felt nice for it, not dated.stymasterhttps://www.piglet-net.net/pubblognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-34331864071155431082022-08-07T11:47:45.113+01:002022-08-07T11:47:45.113+01:00I’ll be curious if the renovation increases their ...I’ll be curious if the renovation increases their trade. I much prefer the older look myself and would not revisit on a return trip to Stockport.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com