Pubs are an intrinsic part of British life, in the past the pub was central to the life of a village or the area of a town; it wasn’t just a place to buy ale, it was a place to meet friends, relax, talk, laugh, unburden yourself. Pubs have changed.. but that change is for another post… here I’m talking about our pub.
My family moved to the lovely little village of Uphill thirty years ago when my parents bought a bunglaow right next door to the village pub, the Dolphin. This was very handy! Sadly my Mum died soon after, and my Dad’s friends in the pub were a tremendous support to him, the landlord and landlady, and the regulars. When my sister was home with him over the weekend away from her care home, Dad’s best friend Trev would bring hima couple of freshly pulled pints… hoping it wouldn’t rain and dilute the beer on the way round!
Later when I had my children, Dad or my my husband Bari would bring me a pint or two while I looked after the babies and they went to the Dolphin! When my dad was very ill, the landlady sent round meals to him… Sadly he died but we kept his bungalow and eventually moved to Uphill some 10 years ago.
We don’t just drink there, Bari joined a band which became the pub band https://loiselsden.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/celtic-shambles-groupie-part-2/,
there is a lively folk club on the first Monday evening of the month, we celebrated birthdays there
have Christmas meals there, entertain friends and family
We eat there – all sorts of wonderful home-cooked meals throughout the week, including a chip shop on Friday nights:
We have been most fortunate with our landlords and landladies and the pub thrives through their hard work – it’s not easy running a pub in times of heavy tax duties and the recession. Someone was once talking about the Dolphin in relation to the landlord, calling it ‘his pub.’ “No,” a regular said fiercely. “Not his pub, the Dolphin is our pub, he’s just looking after it for us.” That sums up the place of the British pub in our lives.
The Dolphin is probably the greatest pub in the world … and always serves good beer! Cheers!
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Lois Elsden 
Sounds wonderful Lois
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You’ll have to visit, Isabel!
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Gave up drinkin’ 10 years ago but this looks like a very pleasant family oriented place. Any way, I can still say “cheers” !
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Cheers, Carl!It’s a very friendly place, no-one is a stranger!
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I have only been to England twice, but both times have enjoyed the quaint pubs that always seem timeless. We try to replicate them here, but something is missing. Thanks for sharing!
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Timeless yes, but full of modern people! Great continuity!
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What a wonderful place to have right nearby! I must admit I am a little envious. Thank you for sharing this.
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What a great place for some comraderie and a cold beer – sounds great!
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You’re right… but don’t forget the traditional English love of warm beer!! We like to let it chambrer! (At least us oldies do, the young drinkers like it cold!)
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