Different Types of Pubs
As time went by the original categories of alehouse, tavern, and inn gradually came together and three specific types of pubs emerged. The first type "Home from Home" tried to capture the ambiance of a home while the second type, "Grander than Home" tried to provide their guests with something a little more special than what they would find in their living rooms, and finally the third, "Frankly Theatrical" adapted a décor that went beyond that of any home. In some cases all three of these approaches to pubs overlapped and a guest might find a touch of "Frankly Theatrical" within a "Home from Home" setting. One example of a layout of a 'Grander than Home' design would be as follows: "a big lofty room under an open-timbered roof with screen and gallery, with a log fire blazing on the stone hearth, and oaken tables scattered here and there, at which the patrons sat drinking the blackjacks of strong ale" (21).
The
"Home from Home" setting, as seen here in the Rowlandson sketch of an
alehouse kitchen, was the most popular in the eighteenth century. It
had none of the upper class pretensions and focused on the homely
frills that made people comfortable in a country pub sort of way. The
kitchen functioned as a congregation room and housed all of the
drinking activities. The simplicity of this type of alehouse was what
made it what it was, a place for workers to come relax and enjoy
their drinks in a place they feel they can put their feet up
(22).
The
"Grander than Home" tradition was created in the late eighteenth
century and carried into the early nineteenth. This picture of "The
Queen's Head" pub shows how this type of pub would have looked. It
would most likely have been found in older suburbs or small towns.
They were frequently located next to hotels or it might have been a
hotel at one time. The average pub-goer would not have been as
comfortable in this environment because of its slightly ostentatious
atmosphere and overdone decor (23).
A
"Frankly Theatrical" drinking house like the one seen here in a
Cruikshank sketch, was practically nonexistent in the eighteenth
century but its style contributed to a large aspect of the history of
drink, "The Gin Palace". These establishments underwent extreme
changes from the simpler pubs by their intricate ornamentation and
fashionable employees. This pub catered to the rich and powerful
exclusively and helped to contribute to the upper classes involvement
in contributing to drink (24).
Another common use for pubs, especially in the larger ones, was to them to cater for "business meetings and formal entertainment as well as for private conviviality" (33). There were also private rooms available for travelers. Some inns would have opulent rooms available for higher members of societies, even kings, while others had rooms that were described as "cheerless and draughty" (34).
The people who owned and worked in the pubs had varying reputations. Many landlords were jovial and generous with their hospitality while others cheated and behaved in a very unfriendly manner. During the eighteenth century, a trend known as the coaching age was taking place where many travelers swept England in their coaches and frequently stopped and stayed at the inns. It was during this time when the landlords would be at their cruelest simply for the reason that they knew their guests would not be returning, and they need not worry about losing business. In fact many novels of the time told stories of unfortunate travelers they would end their horrific days with an argument with the landlord of the inn they were staying at (35).
A small alehouse or inn would most likely be run by a man and his wife with perhaps the help of a servant or two while a big inn that had the facilities of catering for a large amount of travelers would have a large and varying staff. A big inn that provided horses for stagecoaches or kept horses for the guests would usually have a larger staff including outside help to run the stables instead of just the kitchen and drinking rooms. Of course at this time the pubs with a few outdoor benches with older folks talking about the neighborhood happenings could still be found but around the corner there might be an advertisement for a large and improved alehouse (36).