Paul Jennings traces the history of the British pub, and looks at how it evolved from the eighteenth century's coaching inns and humble alehouses, back-street beer houses and 'fine, flaring' gin palaces to the drinking establishments of the twenty-first century. Covering all aspects of pub life, this fascinating history looks at pubs in cities and rural areas, seaports and industrial towns. It identifies trends and discusses architectural and internal design, the brewing and distilling industries and the cultural significance of drink in society. Looking at everything from music and games to opening times and how they have affected anti-social behaviour, The Local is a must-read for every self-respecting pub-goer, from landlady to lager-lout.

The pub has been at the heart of English life for centuries, evolving from elegant coaching houses and humble alehouses through Victorian backstreet beerhouses and 'fine, flaring' gin palaces to the drinking establishments of the twenty-first century.

In this new and revised edition, historian Paul Jennings takes us on a fascinating journey over three centuries of pub life. Set within the wider context of social change, Jennings delves into the lives of the customers who frequented them, as well as those of the men and women who ran them, and takes a closer look at their architecture and interior design. The Local has been brought up to date to record both the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on English pubs and what it tells us about pubs' continuing importance to English people.