Pub
For other uses, see Pub (disambiguation). "Public house" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Public housing. A thatched country pub, The Williams Arms, near Braunton, Devon, England A city pub, The World's End, Camden Town, London The Ale-House Door (painting of c. 1790 by Henry Singleton) A pub , or public house , is an establishment licensed to sell alcoholic drinks, which traditionally include beer (such as ale) and cider. It is a relaxed, social drinking establishment and a prominent part of British, [1] Irish, [2] Breton, New Zealand, Canadian, South African and Australian cultures. [3] In many places, especially in villages, a pub is the focal point of the community. In his 17th-century diary Samuel Pepys described the pub as "the heart of England". [4] Pubs can be traced back to Roman taverns, [5] through the Anglo-Saxon alehouse to the development of the tied house system in the 19th century. In 1393, King Richard II o...