The Smoking Dog in Malmesbury. Photo / Peter Titmuss, Getty Images
The Smoking Dog in Malmesbury. Photo / Peter Titmuss, Getty Images
The Brits have a special attachment to their public houses. At the literal and figurative centre of every village green, or town square will be a place which will pull you a pint.
Sure other countries may do 'bars' or 'saloons', but in few other places are they treated like an extension of one's living room.
This is why an English county is looking for a pub expert to document their labyrinthine network of drinking holes.
Lincolnshire can claim 80 kilometres of historic pubs, and they are willing to pay $55,000 for the right individual to spend the year visiting them.
What might be the mother of all pub crawls, the remit stretches from Grimsby the coast of east England to the Boston downs.
The Lincolnshire county council has taken out an advert for an"enthusiastic" heritage project officer for a campaign called Inns on the Edge.
The perfect candidate will have a degree or "equivalent experience" - though one assumes this refers to research projects, rather than time spent in a local boozer. The heritage expert will be required to "inspire and enthuse different types of audiences, including people who might not traditionally engage with heritage."
The words "beer", "ale" or even "drink" are lacking from the ad – however we doubt the assignment will be dry as it sounds.
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic pub has continued to be a political hot topic in the UK, with "pub openings" being used as a benchmark in restriction easing.
However while the public have been keen to return to their "public houses" many have closed since lockdowns came into effect in March last year. The London Evening Standard reported that 6000 pubs have closed since the beginning of the pandemic, a rate three times higher than the year previous.
The Lincolnshire council says aim of the Inns on the Edge project has come about to raise awareness of the "threat of pub closures, and help the hospitality sector recover from the pandemic."
10 weirdest pub names in the UK
The most important part of a pub is a memorable albeit obscure name. The Red Lion or White Hart are the most common appellations for UK ale houses. However, there are some more unusual and historic pub signs out there.
The Lincolnshire pub inspector will have some real gems on their roster, such as the Father's Moustache in Louth.
An important part of any pub is an unusual appellation. Photo / Raj Rana, Unsplash
