Take a walk down any British high street and you’re sure to spot a pub or two. Almost every single British town, city and village has one and you ca

A Little Look Into The History of Pub Names

submited by

Style Pass

2022-05-16 10:00:16

Take a walk down any British high street and you’re sure to spot a pub or two. Almost every single British town, city and village has one and you can be sure that, no matter how old the building is, the name of the pub draws some form of inspiration from a moment in history.

Pub names depict everything from local folklore, historic events, royalty and notable characters. A simple pub sign can hold the key to a town’s past and when it comes to the history of pub names, each one is different.

Pub names are believed to stem from Roman times where public houses and inns would hang vine leaves outside to act as a trading sign to attract travellers and passersby that there was wine being sold inside.

It’s believed that when the Romans invaded Britain, vine leaves were in relatively short supply, so instead, they hung bushes up. It’s thought that this is what inspired the first pub names, such as The Hollybush, The Bull & Bush and The Bush.

The first proper pubs didn’t appear until many centuries later and the history of pub names came from when inn owners would hang distinctive objects outside in order to distinguish their building from surrounding properties. Names such as The Boot, Copper Kettle and The Plough become popular.