Trivia: largest place without a pub?

[johnnychips]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if it was pre-Covid then it may have changed.

I heard that Frinton might win this title because of some religious covenant, but I’m not sure.

I would count working men’s clubs etc. as a pub. Now whether you would count a restaurant with a drinks license is up to you.

I actually have no examples, I’m just interested, and as we have members all over the place, perhaps you know somewhere.

 

[D6130]

Historically, Kirkintilloch, a few miles to the North East of Glasgow (nearest station: Lenzie) was completely dry, having been voted as such by a majority of its inhabitants under the Scottish 'Veto Poll' legislation. I believe that was repealed sometime in the 1980s and it now has a branch of Weatherspoons called "The Kirkie Puffer", or something similar.

As for present day contenders, I would think that Bournville in Birmingham would be in the running....as would probably be some other settlements of Quaker foundation.

 

[Springs Branch]

Saudi Arabia ? (2.15 million sq.km.)

[EDIT] or being even more of a smarta**e:- Antarctica (>14 million sq.km)

 

[306024]

I heard that Frinton might win this title because of some religious covenant, but I’m not sure.

Not now. The Lock and Barrel opened in the former hardware shop in Connaught Avenue in 2000. Oddly for this location a Shepherd Neame pub.

Frinton is wonderful, until 1992 there was no fish and chip shop either, and casual vendors selling ice cream on the front and the Greensward are banned. One tried to get round that by selling small paper flags for sandcastles at £2 with a free ice cream but the council soon stopped that.

 

[duncanp]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if it was pre-Covid then it may have changed.

I heard that Frinton might win this title because of some religious covenant, but I’m not sure.

I would count working men’s clubs etc. as a pub. Now whether you would count a restaurant with a drinks license is up to you.

I actually have no examples, I’m just interested, and as we have members all over the place, perhaps you know somewhere.

Frinton has had a pub since the year 2000, and whilst it face a lot of opposition to begin with, it is now an accepted part of the local community.

Until recently, there were no pubs or off licences within the suburb of Bournville in Birmingham.

This estate was built by George Cadbury to house workers in the nearby chocolate factory, and being a Quaker, Mr Cadbury insisted that there were no pubs, or off licences.

A bit pointless nowadays, as residents of Bournville can buy alcohol from nearby supermarkets, or visit nearby pubs, or one of the three craft breweries that are less than 600 metres from, er, Bournville railway station.

But because these three breweries are the other side of the canal from Bournville, they are not actually within the boundaries of the Bournville estate. So that's all right then.

It's a bit like the prohibition era in the United States, when it is estimated that there were more illegal drinking establishments in Chicago during the 1920s than beforehand, or after prohibition was repealed in 1933.

 

[CarltonA]

Letchworth was "dry" from 1907 until 1957 though there were existing pubs in nearby Norton and Willian when the garden city was established.

 

[Ediswan]

I heard that Frinton might win this title because of some religious covenant, but I’m not sure.

From what I recall, it was the wish of the residents, expressed through the local council planning committee. Over time, the balance of opinion changed.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Not now. The Lock and Barrel opened in the former hardware shop in Connaught Avenue in 2000. Oddly for this location a Shepherd Neame pub.

Frinton is wonderful, until 1992 there was no fish and chip shop either, and casual vendors selling ice cream on the front and the Greensward are banned. One tried to get round that by selling small paper flags for sandcastles at £2 with a free ice cream but the council soon stopped that.

That sounds about as much fun as listening to a Jeffrey Archer audiobook on Poundland headphones whilst sitting in a traffic jam on the M25.

 

[Howardh]

Went to a cafe near Longridge - Littletown Dairy - and was surprised and delighted they served wines. The lines appear to be very blurred as to what is a pub and isn't as alluded to, but we still have heavy licencing laws, example in Europe I would expect every cafe to serve some kind of alcohol.

Point being, we may be losing pubs and villages/small towns certainly are seeing them closed, but on the other hand more cafe's seem to be getting the alcohol licence, thus the growth of cafe bars. Either way, I could mark a huge area of Bolton with no traditional pubs, although there is the odd club (ie Conservative or bowling) inside that area. How many of the cafes and restarants serve alcohol I've no idea. Perhaps they should be clearer than just a small sign saying "licenced"?

So to answer the OP: "largest place" then I'd submit a huge chunk of SW Bolton.

 

[Dai Corner]

Went to a cafe near Longridge - Littletown Dairy - and was surprised and delighted they served wines. The lines appear to be very blurred as to what is a pub and isn't as alluded to, but we still have heavy licencing laws, example in Europe I would expect every cafe to serve some kind of alcohol.

Point being, we may be losing pubs and villages/small towns certainly are seeing them closed, but on the other hand more cafe's seem to be getting the alcohol licence, thus the growth of cafe bars. Either way, I could mark a huge area of Bolton with no traditional pubs, although there is the odd club (ie Conservative or bowling) inside that area. How many of the cafes and restarants serve alcohol I've no idea. Perhaps they should be clearer than just a small sign saying "licenced"?

So to answer the OP: "largest place" then I'd submit a huge chunk of SW Bolton.

Bolton Council do provide a list of licensed premises if you feel inclined to search it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I apologise if this has been posted before, but if it was pre-Covid then it may have changed.

I heard that Frinton might win this title because of some religious covenant, but I’m not sure.

There are a few places where because of Quaker or other temperance-oriented origins there are covenants banning pubs. I half recall Port Sunlight and Bourneville are/were the same?

These days it'd probably be more likely for reasons of the main population being Muslim; I suspect there are large parts of Oldham which are publess these days, for instance, with the old pubs often converted into other community type uses like mosques (or just flats).

 

[DarloRich]

There are lots of places that were "dry" due to religious stipulations ( Bournville is mentioned above) There were "folk tales" that the lack of pubs, off licences, bookies and fish shops in the terraced housing area alongside the railway works in Darlington was because of Quaker families owning the land on which the rows of terraces were built.

For those interested the area is roughly rectangular formed of north road, woodland road, brinkburn road and the bishop Auckland railway line. North of the Railway line along North Road is the same. As i said it may just be a folk tale but it is odd as other working/terraced areas I have lived in had corner pubs etc

 

[Howardh]

I'm sure the north of Scotland was dry on Sundays, something I recall from my teenage years holidays there? Even the ferries stopped on Sundays?! If my memory is correct then that's a huge area without an open pub 1/7th a week! Not sure if hotels were allowed to serve?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'm sure the north of Scotland was dry on Sundays, something I recall from my teenage years holidays there?

Not just the North of Scotland. Used to be tales of brave (desperate?) folk negotiating the dilapidated 2,000 yard long Solway Viaduct (between Bowness-on-Solway and Annan) on Sundays to avail themselves of hostelries being open on the English side of the Solway estuary.

Even the ferries stopped on Sundays?!

Yes, in particular those operating to/from the Western Isles.

If my memory is correct then that's a huge area without an open pub 1/7th a week! Not sure if hotels were allowed to serve?

Yes, but possibly only to bona-fide hotel residents, and not the general public. Not 100% sure also whether any such alcoholic refreshments had to be served with a meal.