Husband Creche?

Just a few pub signs that made me smile, i love the first one, what better place to leave the other half while you go shop?

The Trout and Tipple, Tavistock

Late September days on Dartmoor probably don't come with much better weather than when Kerridwen and I visited this great little boozer yesterday, but I'd imagine there aren't too many pubs around that will be cozier than this one when the winter sets in and the fireplace is in use!

Although we visited on a Monday lunchtime when there were apparently no regulars in attendance, we could tell this was a pub with a good character. The welcome was warm, my dog received a free complimentary bonio from the landlady, and we were instantly comfortable.

I opted for a Carlsberg, due to the fact that I'd have to drive some hours later, but for those with no such worries there's a good selection of real ales to try.

A sign outside reads: "Plymouth Camra, Country Pub of the Year, 2009." I can see why. This is a real pub, not an eatery, and it's a place I'll certainly visit again!

Pack O'Cards

''Pack O'cards'' is situated in Devon,England and is a magnet to tourists and locals alike,i can see why!

Built in 1690 by the village squire as a tribute to ''Lady luck'' with the winnings from a card game. How fantastic is that?
It was constructed to resemble a pack of cards on land measuring 52 ft by 52 ft ( number of cards in a pack)
It has 4 floors, one for each suit in the pack of cards and 13 doors and fireplaces,representing the number of cards in a suit.
And.. the icing on the cake,(prior to the window taxation days of the 18/19th century) the panes of glass used in all the windows added up to the total numbered cards in a pack.

B-17F ''Ye Olde Pub''

B-17F ''Ye Olde Pub''

2nd LT Charlie Brown was a B-17F flying fortress pilot with the 379th bomber group at Kimbolton,England. His B-17F was called ''Ye Olde Pub'' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton. Most of the tail and stabilizer were gone.

After flying over an enemy airfield, a pilot named Franz Stigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17F. When he got near the B-17F he could not believe his eyes, in his own words, he ''Had never seen a plane is such a bad state.'' The tail and the rear section were severely damaged and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.

Despite having ammunititon, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at 2nd LT Charlie Brown. Brown was cared and struggling to control his damaged and bloodstained plane.

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degree's. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to and slightly off the North Sea toward England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.


When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, he never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and his remaining crew told all at their briefing, but were told never to speak about it again.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never spoken about the incident, not even at post war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th bomber reunion, together with 25 people - who are alive now, all because Franz never fired his guns that day!

Research shows that 2nd lt Charlie Brown lived in Seattle and Franz Stigler had moved to Vancouver, BC after the war. When they finally met they discovered that they had lived less than 200 miles apart for the past 50 years!!

In his first letters to Brown, Stigler had written, '' All these years, i wondered what happened to the B17-F, did she make it or not?''

She made it, just barely.

But why did the German not destroy his virtually defenceless enemy?

''I didn't have the heart to finish off those brave men'', Stigler later said. '' I flew beside them for a long time. They were trying desperately to get home and i was going to let them do it. I could not have shot at them, it would have been the same as shooting as a man in a parachute''.

Sadly Franz Stigler passed away on 22 March 2008 and Charlie Brown passed away on 24th November 2008.








The B17-F ''Ye Olde Pub'' flying at the front, being escorted by Stiglers BF 109.

Hanging Pint Anyone ?!?!

This picture was taken at the Somerset House.

This pub hit the headlines when it became known as the pub where drinks can be hung on the wall !!

The locals believe there is something unbeknown and somewhat magical behind the beer hanging on the wall but i am more inclined to go along with the scientific reasoning. The wall paper paste + nicotine over many years + grime on the walls is most likely whats holding the pint glass up there.

Still, pretty fascinating and worth a visit just to try it for yourself i say.

The War on Pubs Hits the Wrong Target

I can't imagine living in a community without a pub.

In an age when hardly anybody goes to church any more, pubs play a more vital role than ever, yet between 40 and 50 are allowed to close every week, and when these places close they are almost never replaced, to the detriment of the communities they serve.

The biggest reasons are the absolutely extortionate cost (due to excessive taxation) of a drink in a pub these days (as opposed to the prices paid in supermarkets) and the totally over the top, one size fits all ban on smoking. The last Labour government virtually wiped out a huge segment of many pubs trade with those cynical moves, and I'm convinced it was both insidious and intentional.

They made no secret of their desire to introduce a sort of 'continental cafe culture' to replace British Pub Culture.

Aided and abetted by a media campaign to portray Brits as shameless drunks, they turned pub customers into public enemy number one, and fair game for ridiculous tax hikes, whilst the real culprits for drunken anti-social behaviour, the supermarkets, were left unchallenged until the new government came in.

Now the damage has well and truly been done. Pubs that were once packed to the rafters on Friday and Saturday nights are now flatlining and going out of business at a frightening rate. Some are turning into restaurants or ghastly continental style 'gastro-pubs' to keep going.

Anti social drinkers have always been with us, but the answer should not be to punish the overwhelming majority of responsible pubgoers and threaten the future of the great British pub, the centre of many communities. Thankfully, the new government is doing something about the cheap booze available in supermarkets, which most of the troublemakers we see in the papers have 'pre-loaded' themselves with before descending on town centre pubs. Hopefully, that will balance out in the form of more reasonable prices at the bar, or at least a stop to the rapidly escalating prices that are threatening the existence of our pubs for future generations.

As for anti-social people... well, that's a problem across society, and persecuting pubs and the civilised majority of drinkers will do nothing to change those people. The new government should be as tough as is necessary on yobs, but should stop the hammering of our community pubs for the sake of tomorrow's Britain.

One more thing. Before the age of ID checks, most people began drinking in pubs when underage. It was a rite of passage into adulthood, and also a time of learning how to drink and behave responsibly. Is it any surprise that today's kids, introduced to drinking with cheap supermarket booze in the park or on the street have no such parameters of behaviour?

Ye Olde Pub goes online!

http://yeoldepub.freeforums.org/index.php

Ye Olde Pub is situated in a little corner of the interweb, a quiet little friendly place where all are welcome!
Whether you enjoy idle chit chat or intense debates, silly jokes and just plain silliness , daily news and world affairs, there is something for you at Ye Olde Pub.

We at Ye Olde Pub enjoy traditional pub settings in many locations throughout the UK, we have a particular interest in the history of the British Pub throughout time and are very concerned about the rate of pub closure at this time. We believe that the British pub is a vital part of any community, which is why we chose the pub theme for our forum, we hope to bring like minded people together once again to a place where they can chat openly and freely, make new friends, share interests and much more, all within the comfort of their own home.

The Ye Olde Pub forum is open all hours, to all,. The food and drink are free and always served with a smile :) No need for a taxi home. Do you smoke? Go ahead and smoke !! No one is going to tell you to go outside at Ye Olde Pub. Our virtual pub is very relaxed and friendly so why not pop along today?

Cheers !!