Last orders at The Mill House Pub, Portslade Today.

[Vegas Seagull]

The rot started setting in in the mid to late 80s. I can remember as a teenager the weekend started on Thursdays, and f you got to a town centre pub after 8, then there was NO chance of getting a seat. We often used to meet upstairs at the Quadrant at 7:30 and it was already getting packed. I don't think it was a lack of community spirit that made people stay at home and drink rather than go to the pub, it was increasing unemployment, along with increased taxes on alcohol making drinking in the pub unaffordable. It was the fault of government and circumstance rather than the breweries. There was a also a concerted effort to stop thr monopoly on pubs that breweries held, which while it was well inentioned, backfired badly. Forcing breweries to sell off pubs didn't result in lots of privately owned freehouses as was hoped, it led to the creation of chains of pubs owned by companies that weren't breweries, who often tied themselves to breweries anyway.

What rot?
A few (brighton has the lowest closures in the UK) run down pubs being replaced with glorious buildings 10 x the size like The Font (800) The Post & Telegraph simply moving the capacity around. NO great ones have shut ie Cricketeers, Pump House, Sussex in the same area. Licences venues haven't gone down just more cafes & restaurants (music library to wonderful room of Cote)etc

 

[fork me]

What rot?[/qote]

By rot, I mean reduction in numbers. In the 80s there were a lot more pubs in Brighton and they were a lot busier. You wouldn't find ANY pub near the city center (or town center as it was then) that wasn't very busy on Thursday night, let alone the weekend.

[quoteA few (brighton has the lowest closures in the UK) run down pubs being replaced with glorious buildings 10 x the size like The Font (800) The Post & Telegraph simply moving the capacity around. NO great ones have shut ie Cricketeers, Pump House, Sussex in the same area. Licences venues haven't gone down just more cafes & restaurants (music library to wonderful room of Cote)etc

Actually lots of good pubs and venues have gone, not just run down holes. Yes, some new places are opening, but the diversity that Brighton was famous for, while still better than most towns and cities is not what it once was. Not even close. I was promoting club nights and live music throughout the 90s and it was getting harder and harder to attract people, because less people were out.

 

[Return of the Rev]

What rot?
A few (brighton has the lowest closures in the UK) run down pubs being replaced with glorious buildings 10 x the size like The Font (800) The Post & Telegraph simply moving the capacity around. NO great ones have shut ie Cricketeers, Pump House, Sussex in the same area. Licences venues haven't gone down just more cafes & restaurants (music library to wonderful room of Cote)etc

kings head cuckfield,the star ditchling

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Didn't it get done for Drugs a couple of years back? But they fought through all that, and made it more busier and family friendly?

 

[BensGrandad]

Didn't it get done for Drugs a couple of years back? But they fought through all that, and made it more busier and family friendly?

That is the biggest problem running any pub now Drugs. It used to be people smoking but you could smell that and throw them out but now diagnosis is much ore difficult for the publican and staff.

 

[theboybilly]

Ah, the rose tints of youth. I remember my early drinking days in the pubs of South East London when there were a few main breweries vying for trade (Courage, Whitbread, Ind Coope, Truman, Watneys and Bass Charrington) and you could instantly tell which by the lager on sale. Truman was always my favourite bitter. Then suddenly it all changed....Watneys & Truman went first if I remember correctly, the Ind Coope. The others seem to have a range of beers still available but not in brand exclusive pubs. I used to like it as it was, but also like to go into the new style pubs where you can buy beers from all over the place. I was asked by my family in Durham how I got on with 'Northern' beer. I replied that those days have long gone and that I can get a strong beer anywhere in Brighton now. Times have changed and so has the pub market. From my point of view, and using my local area as an example, Shoreham has lost a handful of pubs but for the most part they weren't the best of establishments to drink in-either too dirty or downright dangerous. The Burrells was a 'fight a night' pub. Thankfully the really good ones are ticking over during the week and Shoreham is buzzing on a Friday and Saturday night. It was a bit worrying when the Greenjacket closed as that had quite a good catchment area with no other true pub within half a mile in any direction. I just don't think enough was done to make it attractive or save it.
Pubs will close (some will reopen) but I think we'll be left with the better ones

 

[Guinness Boy]

Ah, the rose tints of youth. I remember my early drinking days in the pubs of South East London when there were a few main breweries vying for trade (Courage, Whitbread, Ind Coope, Truman, Watneys and Bass Charrington) and you could instantly tell which by the lager on sale. Truman was always my favourite bitter. Then suddenly it all changed....Watneys & Truman went first if I remember correctly, the Ind Coope. The others seem to have a range of beers still available but not in brand exclusive pubs.

Three Irishmen go out on the piss in London. When dropping them off their cabbie mentions they should try a Young's pub. First they walk in to the Nags Head. "Is this a Young's pub?" they ask but the barman replies it's a Watneys. They walk 10 minutes down the road and try The Duke of York. "Is this a Young's pub?" they ask but they are told it's Ind Coope. And so it goes on all night until at 10.45 they walk in to The Red Lion. "Is this a Young's pub?" they ask. "YES!" shouts the barman. "Thank f*** for that. Tree pints of Guinness please."