Our village, which held the title of the 'Largest Village in Leicestershire', has now been designated as a town by the local Council, and as such we now have a mayor and all the trimmings that go with it.
There has been several pub closures in the town over the last few years. The last one, "The Plough", closed a few weeks ago due to a variety of reasons i.e., the smoking ban, high taxation on the beer and spirits, lack of interest by the locals and various other reasons.
I think the main reason was that it was converted into what can only be described as a "yuppy pub", the type you see in London and other cities. These sort of bars and pubs are very sparse inside and would not appeal to regular pub users. This kind of pub seems to cater for the casual busy person who just wants a quick boost of alcohol between business appointments.
When the Plough changed hands the comfortable padded seats, the curtains in the lounge and the carpet were ripped out and replaced by a tiled floor (easier to clean?) and 'Roman blinds' replaced the curtains. The main area consisted of 'dining room' type chairs arranged around the tables. I would not like to sit on them for very long because I like my comfort when I have a few pints! I never feel at ease in a place like that. Admittedly there were about four easy chairs with a coffee table, but these were always occupied by the first people in there. This is why I now use the "Dog and Gun" when I don't visit the "Merrie Monk", so I supposed that in a way I was one of those who helped in the downfall of the Plough!
I don't think the Dog & Gun will close because the landlady, Tracy, and her partner, Barry, have got what it takes to run a 'village pub', because that's what it is. We have all the regulars who support the pub in the way of domino, crib and dart teams, and a football team. There is the acoustic night on Mondays, which I organise (or try to keep order)and is very popular. We even have musicians from Nottingham and Coventry who come along sometimes!
I think the main ingredient in the pub are the loyal locals, who come regularly and keep our pub alive. If anymore pubs close in Earl Shilton you can rest assured that it won't be the Dog and Gun.
It is so sad that all the governments attempts to curb so called binge drinking (I have never tried binge but it sounds like a real ale to me) don't target the supermarkets, where 99% of the idiots who don't know when to stop buy it from, but the already struggling pub instead.
jono - The girl on the left of the video wasn't sure what to do with her bodhrán, it was the first time (and the last) that she had been to a "live" do!
I hope they don't put up the price in the supermarkets. An awful lot of OAP's on a low pension buy their beer from the Co-op now because they can't afford to go to the pub anymore. Somehow I don't think they would be 'binge drinkers'. They would be the ones to suffer, not the young ones; they would just ask for a raise in their social security money to cover the costs!
I think you are as bad as I am when it comes to 'stop-starting' to blog. While I was 'away' I found a message saying you were now bloggng on John's site and your blog seemed closed. Fortunately I popped in again and have just caught up. Pleased to see you're back and in good form. All good wishes for the continued success at the Dog and Gun and surely the Merrie Monk will keep going - if only to keep John in good spirits - or is his a beer (or two or three or more. . . . .?)
Nice work Keith. The proper village pubs are a treasure, but face an uncertain future I fear. On drinks alone they cannot compete. I can buy 24 large cans of guinness, lager, or bitter, for £16 in the local supermarket. In the pubs they are between £2.50 and £3.50 a pint. It's a no-brainer midweek now, I'm afraid :-(
Blazing has a valid point. I read recently that the smoking ban in pubs is only part of the reason for the decline in trade, it's also due to more people now staying at home with a few cans in front of the telly.
However to me it's all the more reason why local pubs (like the Dog 'n Gun) should remain to be a place to meet and chat with friends, be entertained, and if possible take part in that entertainment.
The alcohol intake whilst you are there should be secondary. If someone just wants to get blitzed they should stay at home with the cheap supermarket booze. At least the emergency services wouldn't be so hard pressed at night.
Name: Keith Home: Earl Shilton, United Kingdom About: 72 years old, not married or attached but hoping that situation will be rectified some time soon. Interests are walking, usually to and from the local pubs parks, playing boule (Petanque), and generally being a nuisance to my neighbours. Love cats, don't like dogs.
I like Country & Western and Folk music; can't stand modern crap no matter what it's called. See my complete profile
It is so sad that all the governments attempts to curb so called binge drinking (I have never tried binge but it sounds like a real ale to me) don't target the supermarkets, where 99% of the idiots who don't know when to stop buy it from, but the already struggling pub instead.
Nice to see bodhrán in use in England.