“Times change…during my formative boozing years in the ’70s children were virtually absent from pubs, perhaps allowed in beer gardens at the landlord’s discretion with the strict stipulation of them being ‘seen but not heard'”.
Yes, maybe we do have to recognise it is a generational change. Parents today have no qualms about taking children into pubs whereas the people in my parents generation (by and large) didn’t do so.
I visited two pubs in Southport yesterday. One is a wet pub, the other does food. But both have a no children inside the pub rule, clearly advertised on their doors. Perhaps a little bit surprising in the case of the pub which does food but I have seen the rule enforced there.
The wet pub is The Lakeside Inn, on the front and not far from the currently closed pier. It is one of several pubs in the country to claim the disputed title of “The Smallest Pub In Britain”. It is small inside but the outdoor tables do increase its serving area. And the recent trend for micropubs has muddied the waters quite a lot regarding the title.
