UK’s ‘strictest’ pub where you get told off for checking footy scores & swearing is banned…but is it worth the £2 pints?
PINTS are £2 but swearing and phone use is banned – welcome to the ‘strictest’ boozer in the UK.
The Commercial Hotel in Huddersfield enforces a “digital detox” on punters, while popping in with your own food is also strictly prohibited.
But the pub has attracted drinkers in their droves for its cheap asking price for booze, YorkshireLive reported.
Tight-fisted visitors can have a pint of Alpine lager pulled for just £2.20.
Landlord Jake Smith recently reopened the Samuel Smith’s pub following a lengthy period of closure.
“A guy paid £4.40 for two pints and thought I’d under-charged him”, he admitted.
Jake recalled how one customer recently fell foul of the establishment’s firm no-phone rule.
“He was talking on his mobile phone. I just pointed at one of the beer mats (which has a printed warning) and he said it was fine, not a problem.”
In another incident, he gave one scrolling customer a slap on the wrist for checking the footy scores.
“You shouldn’t be doing that,” he fumed. “Digital detox.”
The landlord explained how Samuel Smith’s Brewery boss Humphrey Smith has urged punters to put their devices down and chat and socialise with each other instead.
Boss Jake says that locals who come through the pub’s doors appreciate the disconnect from the digital world.
He continued: “A woman came in last night and said she was glad that we had re-opened.
“She said she hated background music, watching TV and karaoke. She just likes to sit and talk to people.”
Customers Jack and Joan said they were elated to be back in the boozer, but questioned some of the imposed rules.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if you could bring a sandwich in,” said Joan.
“I think they could do with a TV in the games room,” added Jack.
OTHER BIZARRE BOOZER RULES
BITTER AND TWISTED
One pub shocked punters with eight rules including a ban on kids, muddy shoes and iPhones.
The Boot & Shoe Inn in Tockwith, Yorkshire, went viral on social media after unveiling its list of rules which have been stuck to the front window of the pub.
The pub is owned by the Samuel Smith Brewery which is known for its zero tolerance on electronic devices being used at its pubs.
Eight notices in the Boot & Shoe Inn window clearly state the list of banned items with children, muddy boots, dogs, swearing, phones, iPads and laptops all prohibited.
One of the requests that has left pub-goers particularly frustrated is the banning of electronic items such as mobile phones and iPads.
The notice says receiving and sending texts, taking photos, emailing and playing on games or apps, as well as the use of social media platforms are included within the ban.
SWIFT BACKLASH
NEIGHBOURS have complained about what has been dubbed Britain’s strictest pub after it announced a raft of new rules.
Bosses of a historic village pub have revealed a ban on mobile phones, swearing and workwear while visiting.
They also insisted on only “well-behaved children” and none at all after 8pm, prompting fury from potential punters.
The Swan Inn in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire – the childhood home village of chart-topping pop star Harry Styles – reopened after five years of closure on Wednesday.
Managers of the pub, which dates back to the 1800s, wrote: “Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome this week.
“We are a bed and breakfast and restaurant – for the enjoyment of all our guests this is a digital detox environment, so no mobile devices are allowed inside.
“We also have a strict no swearing and no workwear policy.
“Well-behaved children are welcome in the restaurant rooms for meals and outside in our beer garden until 8pm. Dogs are also welcome in our beer garden.
“If this is not the environment for you we completely understand. We look forward to meeting you soon.”
But there was a swift and angry backlash online, especially to the stipulation about “well-behaved children”.
Hannah Gibson posted: “What a shame. These rules are going to put a lot of the local people off.
“Also the ‘well behaved children welcome’ is pretty rude.”
Laura Davison commented: “What do you do with children that aren’t ‘well behaved’? Totally ridiculous rule in my opinion.”
Elsewhere, an English pub dating back hundreds of years has revealed it’s £4million renovation.
The White Horse, in Dorking, dates back to the 13th century, although a large part of it was rebuilt in the 1700s.
Being more than 400 years old it has also had some very famous guests in the past, including Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
It is thought that the White Hart pub mentioned in Jane Austen’s The Watsons novel was inspired by the White Horse.
Similarly, Dickens not only is said to have often visited, but used it as inspiration for his novel The Pickwick Papers.
The pub also serves classic British food, as well as having a “stick library” for dogs to pick out snacks from.
And the pub has recently reopened following a £4million renovation, with 56 rooms ranging from Snug to Really Fancy.