Reply to: Rough Pubs

[Old Hack]

We had a pub we used to go in Merstham, Surrey called the Iron Horse, or Tin Donkey as it was known as locally (funny chaps these surrey folk), as it was the only one that opened in the afternoon in those early days of all day drinking. Rough as all fook. I had a friend come down, who lived in Kensington, with a scottish friend, who wanted a trip sarth of the river. He asked if could play the piano in the pub and as the speculative locals were warming themselves up for some knees up mother brown and tulipe, and he starts playing Rachmaninov. He took a lot of tulip form th elocals, and eventually started playing whatever they wanted him to play, and only stopped after an hour or so. Never seen a bloke so shaken up and out of his comfort zone. He later admitted he'd fair shat himself.

[SimonMac]

They call my estates local "The Jockey" after the pub in Shameless, for me its always been fine as its where I started drinking all those years ago so became desensitised to its unique charms

[d000hg]

Oh yeah, lots of boozers were rough in the 80s. Cheap supermarket booze and no smoking in pubs keeps the chavs hanging about on the street outside your house now.

ftfy

[Old Hack]

Excellent. I can imagine your rants spoken in a farmers west country accent! "when oi was in aaarstraaaalliiaarrrrr"

Oh yeah, lots of boozers were rough in the 80s. Cheap supermarket booze and no smoking in pubs keeps the chavs at home now.

No rants with that accent, I was born in Germany and went to private school until aged 14. Strangely started speaking with more of a west country accent now I live back here. But pubs in the 70's and 80's in the west country were rough affairs. Even the Police would sit back, watch until one was getting too much the better of the other and go and stop it, then send them home, or to other parts of the town. Funny looking back on it.

Cheap booze and the chavs are at home (or in the parks, on the streets) is quite true actually, although we don't seem to get it round here - Nearest supermarket is 12 miles away and local shops way too expensive for booze...

[MyUserName]

It is easy to avoid trouble in rough pubs most of the time, you just need to know how to handle people.

I used to drink in one of the roughest pubs in Basingstoke. Never had an issue, almost got hassle once when I helped out a girl who was being harrassed by a drunk, but harmless, guy and then got mistaken for being that guy when her boyfriend and his pack steamrollered in. Luckily she spoke up for me so they offered me some ecstasty instead and I did not have half a dozen guy stamp my head into the car park - although the brain damage would probably have been quite similar.

I ended up talking to a mountainous South African guy once who basically opened the conversation by asking what I thought about the apartheid, I explained that I did not really have any right to an opinion on the matter and asked what he thought. We ended up sharing some drinks at the bar before he moved on and asked someone else.

My brother used to be the polar opposite, he could sit in a WI cafe and end up in a punch up. Somehow he gave off a vibe which attracted scrappers like drunks to a curry house.

[aussielong]

Growing up in the West Country in my interesting years, there was always a fight starting/going on/about to kick off again, as there was nothing else to do. Pecking order was sorted out that way.

Crazy really, but this was the early 80's and there were no such things as bouncers on pub doors stopping the ne'er do wells getting in. You either learned to look after yourself, or got your head kicked in quite a lot. 3 rugby teams constantly on the piss and fighting just added to the raffle. The strangest thing would be the next day, or even later in a pub, you'd be talking to the bloke you'd previously been digging eyes out of. However, having since lived in other places, and met properly dangerous people, for whom a 15-18 year stretch would be a career highlight, I tend to look on things differently.

However, I don't really go to pubs anymore, as I don't really drink much.

Excellent. I can imagine your rants spoken in a farmers west country accent! "when oi was in aaarstraaaalliiaarrrrr"

Oh yeah, lots of boozers were rough in the 80s. Cheap supermarket booze and no smoking in pubs keeps the chavs at home now.

[Old Hack]

Growing up in the West Country in my interesting years, there was always a fight starting/going on/about to kick off again, as there was nothing else to do. Pecking order was sorted out that way.

Crazy really, but this was the early 80's and there were no such things as bouncers on pub doors stopping the ne'er do wells getting in. You either learned to look after yourself, or got your head kicked in quite a lot. 3 rugby teams constantly on the piss and fighting just added to the raffle. The strangest thing would be the next day, or even later in a pub, you'd be talking to the bloke you'd previously been digging eyes out of. However, having since lived in other places, and met properly dangerous people, for whom a 15-18 year stretch would be a career highlight, I tend to look on things differently.

However, I don't really go to pubs anymore, as I don't really drink much.

[vetran]

so let me get this clear, you all seem to like a bit of rough?

[mudskipper]

Friend and I went to a pub. It was full of blokes - not a woman in sight. We ordered our drinks and sat at a table. Everyone was staring at us. Someone came over and asked if we wanted tickets for the "meat raffle" - still not sure if this was a euphemism! It was only when the stripper arrived we realised they'd thought we were there as entertainment for their stag do.

[GB9]

The Scotsman in Leeds.

Went in there on a Friday afternoon when in my early twenties. Like a scene from East Enders. A short ugly guy with a large scar on his cheek, flanked on either side by a gorilla on day release.

We sat down with a pint (only us and them in there) and as I had my first mouthful I noticed they were all staring at us, in a 'get out of our pub' type of way. Anyway, we didn't need any more hints, drank pint in around a minute, and left. Never been back.

[MarillionFan]

I've always enjoyed dive bars / pubs and to be honest never had an issue, you either fit in or stick out like a sore thumb.

Only exception was a pub in Eastbourne when I was around 25. Had moved to a new area and there was a pub at the end if the road. I wondered down one evening from work and as I walked in the place literally stopped. Every eye turned towards me and it felt like the jukebox stopped. I approached the bar and said 'I'll...' And was stopped by the barman who finished my line with 'be leaving'.

'Er ok' looking around the crowd was less than welcoming and so I very quickly fecked off.

I started drinking elsewhere and told them the story and they pointed out it was a huge drugs pub. They also pointed out that as I was wearing black suit trousers, black shoes, white shirt and had close cropped hair that they had assumed I was a copper.

[NickFitz]

If you sit yourself down in a corner, few beers and a sudukio- you will never be disturbed.

The trick in rough pubs is to keep yer gob shut. be sociable when required, otherwise - shut it.
You are a guest in someone else's territory. walk soft but carry a big stick

+1. About twenty years ago I was in a city I'd never been to before. As I'd hitched there and made excellent time, the friend I was supposed to meet wasn't due for a while, so I ambled about the centre a bit and went in what seemed like an OK pub.

I got a pint and sat in the corner, reading the Grauniad, for an hour or so. I got the impression some of the locals at the bar were looking over at me and muttering among themselves occasionally, but I didn't get any hassle. When it was time to meet up with my friend I folded up the paper, took my empty glass back to the bar, thanked the barmaid, and left.

Meeting up with my friend a few minutes later I told them where I'd been. They were stunned, and explained to me that it was the watering hole and de facto headquarters of the city's NF/BNP contingent

Still, at least I had the right initials

And, returning to EO's point: I realised that the locals were probably wondering WTF a Grauniad reader was doing in their pub but, once they grasped that I was just an anomaly passing through, they left me in peace.

[AtW]

a town with a huge drug problem.

What was the problem - supply too tight?

[EternalOptimist]

I spent a lot of my adult life in rough pubs. I prefer them to restaurants , clubs etc. It just seems more real to me, less pretentious and you can actually get a good laugh and a good conversation.
You can also get a valuable commodity
- peace.
If you sit yourself down in a corner, few beers and a sudukio- you will never be disturbed.

The trick in rough pubs is to keep yer gob shut. be sociable when required, otherwise - shut it.
You are a guest in someone else's territory. walk soft but carry a big stick

[vetran]

I thought this was a thread about stubble

nah E's are good.

You will never satisfy the attention to detail requirement in the job spec