History on tap: An ode to the design legacy of traditional pubs

Before we start, a quick confession. I don’t drink beer. I’m not an ale aficionado. Cider is the devil’s work, and I don’t like stouts, porters, or anything cloudy, warm, and craft. My taste is simple. I love a pint of lager in a traditional British pub.

Pubs have been a thread running through my adult life. Whether moving to a new city, making friends, watching live music and sport. Pubs are more than drinking hangouts; they’re foundations to my social life. And it’s not just about drink. It’s the design legacy of pubs; the hand-painted signage, carpets, beer mats, snacks, are intrinsic to these happy memories. Whether the pool table at The Bakers Arms, the stained glass windows at The Champion, regal oil paintings at The Shakespeare’s Head, or the signage outside The Battle of Trafalgar. Each is significant to me.

Yet the traditional pub is under threat. Rent increases, brewery price hikes, higher taxes, operational costs and changing consumer habits have all played their part. Thankfully, artists and designers are finding inspiration from the visual language and endearing charm of pubs.

Pubs are a British institution with origins that date back nearly 2,000 years to Roman Britain when establishments such as ‘mansiones’ and ‘cauponae’ served as roadside lodging for travellers. These early venues gave rise to alehouses, taverns, and inns which gradually became a space for locals to drink ale. The British thirst for ale knew no bounds, and by 1577 a national survey concluded that there were approximately 20,000 alehouses, inns, and taverns in England and Wales: about one for every 200 people.

Today, London alone has about 3,500 pubs. Each is unique, often reflecting the architecture and social history of the area, and serve the local community, workers, subcultures, students or tourists. A fascination in the diversity of pub architecture inspired Lydia Wood to draw every pub in London, a merger of her love for art, London and pubs. “As my pencil drawings are detailed, I love to exhibit this through the intricate signage, tiles, and brickwork of many buildings. But I also love the challenge of a flat roof pub, or a rendered white facade – these can often be more challenging to show off in my style. By choosing to draw every single one, I aim to celebrate the backstreet boozer only locals go to, as much as the historical icon frequented by hundreds of visitors every week. However architecturally humble, that pub means something to someone.”

For many, it’s the pub sign that first catches the eye. Typically an artist’s impression of the pub name, hanging on the exterior, their origin is as old as the pubs themselves. In ancient Rome, vine leaves indicated the sale of wine, whereas evergreen bushes were used in Britain, due to the climate, and later a long pole indicated the trade in ale.

As pub names like White Hart, The Crossed Keys or The King’s Head, became more common, pictorial signs became vital, due to high illiteracy in Britain. Over time these evolved to become celebrated works of folk art as painters such as Ralph Ellis of Arundel, and George Biles of Bridport became known for their use of vibrant colour and striking imagery.

Stepping into a traditional pub is a unique experience. Will the atmosphere resemble The Slaughtered Lamb, from An American Werewolf in London, or offer a friendly, warm, cosy atmosphere with wooden bar, open fire and hand etched typography? That unpredictability is part of its charm.

Milly Aburrow played with this experience when creating The Salty Crisp Pub, an immersive installation exhibited at 44AD Artspace, Bath. The fictional pub merges Milly’s artistic motifs and personality, through the decorative richness of Art Nouveau, ceramic tiles, intricate wallpaper, mirrors, stained glass, while paying homage to the traditional British pub as a place rich with history, shared memories, conversation, support, and community.

“The Salty Crisp is rooted in my personal connection to two British pubs, The Star and Garter, in East Dean, and The Fox Goes Free, Chichester. They’re filled with little details that stick with you: candlelit tables, old photographs and paintings of the local Goodwood racecourse and circuit. It’s a place tied to special memories with friends and family. That kind of visual nostalgia, where the space is layered with history and a sense of place, which was a huge part of my inspiration.”

Milly continues: “There’s a visual generosity to a traditional pub interior, and I work with materials like patterned fabrics, tufted textiles, and hand-crafted elements, to capture their tactile charm. Every detail, from the crisp-themed wallpaper, to the stained glass panels and crisp packet sculptures, has been carefully considered. The overall effect is designed to feel nostalgic and comforting, yet personal and playful, evoking those everyday rituals we know and love, like sharing a packet of crisps with friends over a drink. For me, pub nostalgia is about the layered, maximalist atmosphere that brings it all together.”

Local pubs aren’t typically the fanciest of drinking establishments, but the sun-bleached carpet, net curtains, typography on the pub paraphernalia, the green cloth of the pool table and the red velvet curtains can also inspire. For Adam Jones, an idiosyncratically British fashion designer, it’s the everyday language of pubs that inspires his collection. “I was looking to incorporate text into my work, as a sort of logo, and wanted to find a material with existing typography. The pub next to my London studio was being renovated. I found a few bar towels in the skip outside and there it was, the obvious choice of material.”

Adam elaborates on the inspiration of pubs: “I spend a lot of time in pubs. It’s a lovely reminder of home. I’m from rural Wales and spent a lot of time in pubs growing up as there wasn’t much else to do. There were few restaurants in the Welsh countryside in the 1990s, so every family do, kids birthday party, and christening were always in pubs, so pub culture is a big thing. A pub is a safe space where everybody is equal. There are characters you wouldn’t normally start chatting to, the grumpy old man in his suit, the young lad in his football kit, the burly barmaid. A pub is full of characters and I find inspiration in what these individuals wear.”

However nothing captures the humble spirit of a pub like the beer mat. Originally cardboard, placed under a patron’s drink, they became commonplace when switched to practical wood pulp. Brands recognised their potential for marketing, inadvertently developing a design legacy, which is celebrated by Beer Stained Pulp, curated by Adam Kimberley, an Instagram collection of “nicely designed beer mats from the past” and visual culture book of the same name. “The idea was to post a new beer mat every day in the hope that they would not only be a source of inspiration for fellow designers, but also as a source of nostalgia to make people reminisce of nights down the pub.”

Adam started collecting when he was young. “My sister gave me a Kimberley Ales (our surname) beer mat. I pinned it onto my wall and then started collecting them myself. However it wasn’t until I went to university to study graphic design and illustration that I realised what a great source of creative inspiration they were. I love seeing the vintage typography, colour palettes, illustrations and the little graphical elements that make them unique. They illustrate the development of British culture and the evolution of advertising and design.”

If you’re in search of creative inspiration, there’s nothing quite like a traditional pub. Better still, try discovering a new one. You never know what’s inside. As Lydia explains: “My ideal pub is a building that you happen to stumble across. Not showy or enormous, but the type of place you might stop to look at or take a photo. I love green glossy tiles, a ghost sign or two, etched windows, and plenty of bricks for me to draw. Inside I like carpet, cushioned stools, perhaps that familiar smell of old booze or even older tobacco. A pub where we keep ourselves to ourselves but might happen upon a conversation with the landlord or a local. Where it’s easy to be served but it’s not empty and an open fire or music in the evening. A pub that centres its community and welcomes new people, that serves crisps and a decent lager. A pub that feels like a pub.”