The Decline of Pubs in the United Kingdom: Causes and Conservation Efforts

2023-12-19 14:14:00
A waitress fills a pint of beer in a pub in Limehouse, south London, December 14, 2023 (Daniel LEAL / AFP/Archives)

Victims of the purchasing power crisis, pubs, where the British gather around pints of beer, have been closing in numbers in recent years, to the great dismay of lovers of these emblematic places of the United Kingdom.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the United Kingdom had some 60,000 pubs in 2000. Since then, their number has continued to decline, falling to 45,800 in 2022.

The organization explains this fall by the Covid-19 pandemic, synonymous with long confinements in the United Kingdom, followed by the surge in energy prices which weighed on pub costs and led to a fall in purchasing power. of the British.

“There will be a time when this reduction will stop, when we get closer to the number of pubs necessary to meet demand,” wants to believe Nick Fish, in charge of statistics for the BBPA, interviewed by AFP.

Consumers in a pub in Wapping, south London, December 14, 2023 (Daniel LEAL / AFP/Archives)

Paul Richard Jennings, a historian and former professor at the University of Bradford, is not surprised by the decline, but he does not believe pubs are in danger of disappearing.

“People drink less because they have other ways to spend their free time and spend their money,” explains the specialist, author of several works on these establishments.

Peak in the 19th century

By 1869, pubs reached a colossal number of 118,499 in England and Wales.

The Prospect of Whitby pub in Wapping, south London, December 14, 2023 (Daniel LEAL / AFP)

But in the 20th century, “massive urban change occurred with the demolition of slums – and with them, the demolition of many pubs”, says Paul Richard Jennings.

“Today, there are other places to go for a drink, and many people prefer to buy from the supermarket rather than the pub to save money,” underlines the historian.

At the same time, the costs of running pubs have continued to rise, with energy bills getting higher and higher. “And with the cost of living crisis, people are limiting their spending,” he adds.

Some seek to save pub culture, which dates back to the taverns of Roman times.

Bottles of alcohol at the Grapes pub in Limehouse, south London, December 14, 2023 (Daniel LEAL / AFP)

In 1393, King Richard II forced owners to place signs at the entrance to these places, which have become an integral part of the pub’s imagination and some are exhibited in museums.

The name “pub”, short for “public house”, arrived a little later, around the middle of the 19th century, explains historian Paul Richard Jennings.

Tourist attraction

Some pubs have become tourist attractions and the National Trust, an association responsible for managing historic and natural sites in the United Kingdom, has bought 39 establishments, such as the George Inn in south London, which is said to have counted Charles Dickens among its customers .

Consumers at the Grapes pub in Limehouse, south London, December 14, 2023 (Daniel LEAL / AFP)

Some argue for the title of oldest in the UK. In London, The Prospect of Whitby, which dates back to 1520, is generally considered the oldest of the capital’s 3,500 pubs, despite heated debate.

Companies like Liquid History Tours focus on this heritage dimension and offer guided tours dedicated to pubs.

“Maybe some of them will have to adapt to the world around them, but there will always be a place for a classic pub. What would London be without them?” asks its director, John Warland.

Pete Brown, author of numerous books on the subject, believes that society advocates more reasonable drinking than before, and that “pubs had their heyday in the days when homes were not pleasant places “.

He also notes that around half of the establishments belong to property companies for whom it is more profitable to replace a pub with a supermarket or apartments.

However, he does not lose hope: “They will never really disappear because they are part of our identity. We will have less of them, but perhaps in this way we will cherish them more.”

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