Rural Pubs

[Hirsty]

Is anybody else worried about the demise of rural pubs?  There was a time when you could meet up with local faces and catch up with the gossip either on the barstool or over a game of darts, skittles, cards etc, lock-ins and selected seasonal parties / theme nights were also a common theme...  Weekends were always busy but even a brief midweek pop in would guarantee some familiar faces and banter.  Is it just me or is this increasingly becoming a thing of the past?  The price of a drink certainly plays its part but in fairness to the landlords most are tied to who they buy from and cannot shop around for suppliers.  The pool table, the dartboard and the good old Northamptonshire skittles table are increasingly rare as all space is now turned over to dining covers, deemed necessary to generate money.  Its not just about losing the character that once made them the hub of their local community, in more pressing instances many villages are losing their pubs full stop.

I believe our local has been up for sale for some time now, the pub in Orlingbury has changed hands twice within the last year, The Sun in Broughton and The Monk and Minstrel in Islip have also recently had new owners take over after dips in trade.  I'm really not sure how many rural pubs can continue to survive let alone thrive in the current climate.  I'll certainly be sorry to see this trend continue as a number of village pubs in this county use to be gems for all sorts of reasons, they are fast becoming few in numbers.

[Hirsty]

Update on the local front - I believe I am right in saying that a new management team has been brought in to take over the day to day running of the Overstone Arms.  I wish them every success as a village pub should be a beating hub and centre for any village, a place where you can catch up with other locals and develop good social networks.