The decline of pubs is a disaster

“The day the pub dies, England dies; for within the pub, you will find the heart of England.” – SPB Mais  

Those words were written on the cellar door of the first pub I worked in, and I often read them several times a shift to distract myself from the fact that I wasn’t doing any work. I was fired after about three weeks. 

I wouldn’t call it a particularly impressive quote: even the pub I read it in has taken it off their door (they decided it was less interesting than the nibbles menu). I should clarify that when I say that the quote isn’t impressive, it’s not that it isn’t clever, or a dig at SPB Mais (although that would be hard, as I don’t know who he is). What I mean is that this is hardly news. Pubs are special and wonderful, and as a country we should be fighting to keep as many of them open as possible.  

As a born citizen of the countryside and someone who still finds London slightly terrifying, I can say that without pubs, many towns and villages just become a big cluster of houses

Pubs are something that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Yes, you can go to pretty much any country where serving alcohol isn’t a crime and find a building with ‘pub’ written on it, but here they are special and real, built for convenience and necessity. There are so many pubs in the UK because, historically, they have a real purpose, as cheap accommodation and rest for travellers and traders since the medieval period. There are many aspects of the medieval period that I’m happy to leave behind: serfdom, feudal conscription, and an average lifespan of about 30, but pubs, I like. 

Many people are familiar with the romantic history and cultural significance of pubs, but they also serve a significant practical purpose. As a born citizen of the countryside and someone who still finds London slightly terrifying, I can say that without pubs, many towns and villages just become a big cluster of houses. I have seen this happen in front of my very eyes. The closure of a village pub has left people without a place to gather, brought low by the prospect of lost history, culture, and having to drive 15 minutes for a gin and tonic.  

There are still hundreds of villages in which the pub comprises the only shop and post office for miles, without which many people (often above the age of 70) are completely cut off.  

The sad reality is that pubs have been forced to price themselves out of the student market

Pubs also serve as a great first place to work, and as someone who worked in both a pub and McDonald’s in my mid-teens, I can confidently tell you that pubs are miles better. I might, however, be following in the steps of SPB Mais in writing something that’s hardly news. 

What’s possibly even more saddening than the closure of pubs across the UK is that many students don’t really seem to mind. In recent years, the sad reality is that pubs have been forced to price themselves out of the student market. If you don’t believe me, just try to find a pub that is selling Guinness for under £6 and turning even a small profit.  

The student pub is a friendly and social atmosphere that has turned countless nervous and spotty children into (sort of) adults. Without it, university is less fun and less interesting. Warwick is no exception to the danger. While there would still be fun and personal growth at a university devoid of pubs, we would lose so many great conversations and stories, many of which start by getting massively drunk on a Tuesday night. You gain something from the pub that you just can’t get from buying booze in Tesco.  

Don’t let the luxury of spending happy hours in the pub when you’re young become a thing of the past

As a nation and as a university, we should fight to keep pubs alive – the most crucial step to this is to reduce the tax burden on alcohol that pubs face. Pubs that could charge a reasonable or even cheap price for drinks would not just be an ideal place to go, but somewhere preferable to drinking supermarket vodka in your sitting room. Don’t let the luxury of spending happy hours in the pub when you’re young become a thing of the past: release the financial stranglehold on the hospitality industry. 

It may be financially challenging, but spare billions and recovery plans can always be found when governments or big banks drive the economy into a wall. Let’s instead bail out an institution we actually like, and save the pub.