Many years ago I worked for a large UK organisation that had a payroll process that ran overnight on mainframe computers around the country. (this was pre PC) supported by staff in London offices. The support team routinely gave the number of the pub round the corner to be used if there was a problem.

This was before the meninsuits got hold of computing.

Nick
>IMO it's the English style to be indirect. Unless they want to crush your nuts, and then there is no one more skilled.
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>The pubs I went to were the pubs near where I worked -- almost all urban areas. London, Manchester, Leeds. Usually it was with coworkers. Pubbing after work or even at lunch on a special occasion like birthdays, promotions, resignations, and getting sacked was a normal social activity. Sort of a communal living room.
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>BTW, Thunderbird flagged "neighbourhood" as a misspelled word. Please try to improve your spelling (LOL).
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>>Well, I admit, I assumed they were independent. They were small local neighbourhood pubs in the middle of nowhere, with an atmosphere that just didn't seem to be what I picture chains to be like. Were the pubs you're talking about in any specific area? I was wandering around in residential areas mostly well away from touristy type areas. Not only can I not tell you now where I was wandering, I didn't know then either.
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>>>How many of them are independent? When I was doing a lot of work in England -- granted this was in the 1980s -- most pubs were owned by the major beer makers.
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>>>>Good for them! Those local independent pubs, it seems to me, are a cultural treasure. They should not be changed lightly.
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>>>>>Its quite widespread . One of the weird aspects is that many small brewers of beer have sprung up over the last few years while the number of independent pubs has declined.
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>>>>>Here's a link about some locals fighting to save their pub from the attentions of the big breweries.
>>>>>
>>>>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Arms_controversy
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>>>>>>>still called pubs. have to look a bit harder for a good one as a few too many have been taken over and themed. If your ever in England get hold of a CAMRA(CAmpaign for Real Ale )Guide that should set you right.
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>>>>>>Is that everywhere? When I was on London back in the late 70's or early 80's (I should be sure, but I'm not), I spent my time by getting on the tube, riding to a station with an interesting name, getting off there and getting myself totally lost. Of course that's not a problem since if you continue in a straight line for a while, you'll hit another tube station. Anyway, every so often on one of these walks, I'd drop into a sort of neighbourhood pub, and it was great. I hope those haven't changed. Hopefully it's only the ones around Victoria station, the theatre district,and the other tourist areas.
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>>>>>>>Nick
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>>>>>>>>I love the name of the pubs. Are they called 'pubs?'
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>>>>>>>>>PS -- just reading those station names makes me nostalgic. I worked in central London the summer I was 23, near Blackfriars station, and those tube stop names are like lines of poetry to me. What a fantastic summer. The one that jumps out at me for some odd reason is Finsbury Park, which I went up to only once. It was for a Friday night Kinks show at the Rainbow Palace. The show was terrific, although the venue was not what I expected. Given that is was where Eric Clapton played his comeback concert I was expecting something more stylish. Not so. It was basically a dump. No seating on the main floor, broken seats in the optimistically named mezzanine. It didn't bother me. That was my first and last mosh pit. Everyone should mosh once. I was in my work suit, Mr. White Bread in a mass of punks and Mohawks. Ray Davies was within spitting distance. It was an awesome experience.