Friday Factoids (2006.10)

March 10, 2006 by
Filed under: Uncategorized 
  • There are about 60,000 pubs in Britain – that’s one for every 1,000 people.
  • In Medieval times there was one alehouse for every 50 people. (Happier times!)
  • 26 pubs close every month in Britain. (Sad but true.)
  • The most common pub name in Britain is The Crown.
  • In the Middle Ages, when most people were illiterate, pub signs included pictures, e.g. The Pig and Whistle. The whistle is believed to be a corruption of wassail, meaning good health. The pig was either from an old word for pail or maybe a peg which was used to mark how much was being consumed from a barrel.
  • The (English) pub with the shortest name is Q in Stalybridge.
  • Reputedly the smallest pub in England is the Nutshell in Bury St. Edmunds (4.6m x 1.95m).
  • The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA), introduced in 1914, restricted opening hours to help the war effort, along with restricting binoculars and invisible ink! The drinking restrictions were lifted, allowing longer opening hours, in 2005.

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