Another One Gone

Yet another once thriving Barrow pub closed its doors at the weekend, and I hear ominous rumours of at least two more heading the same way. We all know that the loss of any local pub is a blow to the social life of many folk, but looking deeper there’s far more to it than the loss of just a drinking, and up till recently, smoking den.

 Far more jobs were obtained "down the pub" than at any Job Centre or Labour Exchange. Many a Barrow father, bought a foreman a pint or two and got a promise of a start for his sometimes unwilling offspring. How many business ideas and plans were dreamt up over a quiet pint down at the local pub? away from the pressures of work and family life, with a beer or two for lubrication the pub is the ideal thinking place. I know of half a dozen or more thriving local well established business partnerships which were forged down the pub over a beer. Not all local wheelers and dealers who trade down the pub are the "fell off the back of a lorry" variety.

You name it , builder, window cleaner, gardener etc they all could be found via the local pub, if they didn't drink there someone who did, knew which pub they could be found in.
Many a local tradesman who worked from home used to call their local "the office" and never needed to advertise for work, inquiry's and phone calls were passed on via the bar staff. Reputations could be made or broken by what the regulars said about the work he did, do a bad job and you had to find yourself another pub. Do a good job and your reputation was embellished and grew as the pints were supped to seal the deal.