London pubs

All the community pubs have closed down and being replaced by wine bars and 'gastros' and poncey, pretentious licensed eateries. They are way too expensive and it is now cheaper to just invite friends to your home for a get together rather than meet them in a pub.

Pubs are accessible to all, a social meeting- and melting-pot and a very important part of British social structure. 

Some can be off-putting, with loud music and TVs that drown conversation. . 

Good pub food and service is always a plus,

This is coming from someone who moved to London from abroad a couple of years ago - totally agree with the voices considering pubs intrinsically linked with London's if not the UK's history. I know there are unpleasant pubs out there, and a lot have been taken over by chains etc., but can't beat the atmosphere in one of those old neighbourhood pubs. Absolutely love it! Every time my parents or friends from abroad are over, we'll go to the pub, it's a given.
It saddens me to see more and more pub closures - it's one factor playing into how our communities are getting destroyed just because money speaks loudest.
Pubs are a place to socialise as not everyone can or wants to afford bars and fancy restaurants, or sometimes just wants to go somewhere casual. Especially elderly members of our society will be left behind once again and loneliness in old age gets worse and worse. That's but one example of how vital pubs are to our neighbourhoods.

I've been living in Australia for just a few months now and I honestly miss the pub scene back home! Talked to a lot of British expats and we all share the same sentiment. Guess sometimes you only realise the value of something when you no longer have it...

Several pubs have closed in our area, we now have a lot more small supermarkets which are totally unnecessary. a lot of the local pubs have all turned into Gastro pubs which are expensive and are not conducive to socialising and mixing in pubs as one used to to chat, have a drink and play darts. Consequently they are not locals any more. The ones that have not turned into Gastro pubs are struggling and are becoming very dreary places and with the nearby ones closing to visit a pub is difficult as you cannot drive, the transport, despite being on the outskirts of London, is poor and a fair walk away and one has no wish as a female to walk around late at night on ones own. Used to socialise and meet a lot of local people in pubs at one time but certainly not any more.

Used to love the old east end pubs, geezers who used them used to be a laugh a minute, Saturday night up the mile end road, half a dozen pints, loads of loud music then outside for some seafood, nothing like it now, too many old f**ts telling us what we should and shouldn't be doing, what's good for us etc, load of old muvva Hubbard's, roll back to 1965 and let's have some proper fun.

The micropubs in SE London (particularly Bexley) have been a breath of fresh air. Every one offers something different. Really shaken up going out and helped bring life to high streets and rows of shops.

Try The River in Greenwich, Rusty Bucket or Long Pond in Eltham, Broken Drum in Blackfen, The Hangar on the Oval (Sidcup), The Halfway House (Halfway Street Sidcup), The Hackney Carriage (Sidcup Station), The Hoppers Hut (Sidcup High Street), the Door Hinge in Welling, Bird and Barrel in Barnehurst or the Penny Farthing in Crayford. Worth a trip out there to sample!

There are a lot of bad pubs, and a lot of good ones, and many in between,  but fewer of all kinds every year. Closures seem to be due to dwindling number of drinkers,  absence of parking , redevelopment for housing, and -- the main reason --excessive prices charged by pub co's to the managers for beer supplies.  Hence the high price of a pint in London, except at Wetherspoons.   This puts people off to a varying degree, but cost of a pub visit is probably going to be £10 if the drinker has 2 pints of beer.

Pubs all over the country have disappeared and clientele of pubs has changed, pubs are less of a community meeting place these days because of the high prices changed, not every on in London is on megabucks wages the high cost of accommodation means less disposable income which in turn means less to spend in the pub to socialise with the neighbors and discuss community issues.  Clientele? other than tourists, who I may add are being ripped off good atyle, are more inclined to be taking some sort of recreational drug and actually spend little over the bar but a considerable amount in the toilets.

I personally can't drink very much in a pub, I just can't afford it.

Most of the pubs that have closed in London did so for a good reason - e.g. horrible toilets/poor choice of beers/unfriendly staff. It's very rare today to find yourself in an area that doesn't have a decent pub if you know where to look...

Pubs, Inns &Taverns of London are inextricably linked with London’s history and heritage; many appear in literature & historic events. They are also a bit lace of entertainment and a social hub; the better ones provide social spaces for community groups to meet ( one I know has a mother and baby club  during the day selling coffee & cake. So how does London rest pubs ? In short badly 

national and local policies coupled with dominant pub groups such as Enterpriseinns & Punch Taverns combine; the pub companies lock landlords into very uncompetitive deals with tiny margins; business rates are sky high, taxation means that drink is far cheaper in a supermarket. Given this I’m surprised there are still so many pubs around. The best  pubs provide for non alcohol drinkers have food and are community hubs yet spun is rarely  included in development plans. The asset of community value is a start in giving pubs a chance but more needs to be done

I am still waiting for the Queens Head in Chelsea to reopen.A Community gay friendly pub.This area needs such pubs ,not more flats.

Independently owned pubs nil corporate takeovers destroying the industry 1000

Pubs are by nature independent. need to to stop groups dominating e.g dont let m&B buyout a pub to turn it into a profit machine

Pubs really important as local hub, but need to be more welcoming to different kinds of people. I think we need more variety - sometimes I'm looking for somewhere I can meet friends for a chat (or a meeting), sometimes I want a good pub meal, other times I might choose to go and hear live music, or go to a quiz. Others might want to watch the football. In the summer I might be keen to go to a pub with outside space. As a parent or grandparent you might want to find a pub where your kids are welcome. You can't usually do all these things in the same pub at the same time! Pub closures mean we lose variety.

Pubs also need to be welcoming to different kinds of people, and older people, women, single people need to feel comfortable about being there. And more choice with a good range of non alcoholic drinks would be nice - I drink alcohol but don't always want to.