Our Guest Speaker – Ian Bott, came at short notice, as John Hill was taken ill. Ian Bott gave an interesting talk about Pub Signs. It was was interesting talk full of information. His talk was based around The Robin Hood. Why was there a pub called The Robin Hood in Churchbridge? What have we got to do with Robin Hood?
More information about the History of Pub Signs from ‘A History of British Pub Signs’ website
Walk down any British high street and you are sure to see a pub. The local. Nearly every British city, town or village has one. You can also be sure that, no matter the age of the building, the name of the pub draws inspiration from history. There’s a unique heritage to the pub names and signs in Britain, which depict everything from historic events, local folklore and occupations to royalty, notable characters, ancient associations and heraldry – a simple pub sign can hold the key to a town or village’s past. We take a look at the history behind the names of Britain’s much-loved pubs…
The naming pf pubs is said to stem from Roman times, when Tabernae would hang vine leaves outside as a trading sign, in order to alert passers-by that wine was sold within. However, it has been suggested that when the Romans invaded Britain, vine leaves were in short supply, so they hung bushes up outside instead in order to mark out the inns. It is said that this gave rise to the many pubs which are now called The Bush, The Hollybush or The Bull & Bush.
Thankyou to ‘A History of British Pub Signs’ for their information, read more about Pub Signs at: thehistorypress.co.uk/article/a-history-of-british-pub-names
