Wednesday 18 April 2012

A Plethora of Pubs

There are dozens (hundreds?) of pubs in the Lake District, catering to the needs of tourists and day-trippers, hikers and climbers, not forgetting the local population, of course.
The one with perhaps the most interesting name is The Drunken Duck which, like many Lakeland inns, has oak floors and old beams. The legend about the name is that the landlady of the inn found ducks lying stretched out in the road and concluded they were dead, so she began to pluck and prepare them for dinner. However, down in the cellar a barrel had slipped its hoops and beer had drained from the floor into the duck’s feeding ditch. The ducks took full advantage but awoke to find themselves plucked and halfway to the oven. Full of remorse for the rough treatment, the landlady knitted the ducks waistcoats of Hawkshead yarn until their feathers grew back again.

Another pub with an unusual name is The Mortal Man, in the village of Troutbeck, between Ambleside and Windermere. Its name comes from a sign painted for the landlord in the 18th century by a painter called Julius Caesar Ibbetson. One legend is that the remains of a local man may be buried under the pub; but it’s equally possible that the ‘mortal man’ is the drunkard, drinking himself to death!
A newer pub, Wainwrights’ Inn at Chapel Stile in Langdale is part of the Langdale Estate of timeshare wooden  lodges. If its apostrophe is in the correct place, the name refers to the makers of the wooden carts (or ‘wains’) which were used to transport slate in the local quarries, and not, as many people think, to Alfred Wainwright, the author of many Lakeland guide books.

The Three Shires Inn, a traditional slate inn in the Little Langdale Valley, was built in 1872 near the meeting point of the old counties of Westmorland, Lancashire and Cumberland (now part of the county of Cumbria).


My favourite village of Hawkshead has four pubs. The oldest, the Red Lion, was a 15th century coaching inn. The archway through which coaches drove into the stabling yard still exists, as do the medieval carved figures under the eaves.


Another pub, dating from Tudor times (16th century) is the King’s Arms, which is in the main square, and there are two 17th century inns, the Sun Inn and the Queen’s Head.


The latter, a black and white half-timbered pub, is a familiar sight to all visitors to Hawkshead as it stands in the main street, where the road narrows. Inside it is cosy and welcoming, with slate floors, oak beams, and wood panelling. One interesting curio in the pub, now kept in a glass case, is a huge shoe, known as Haaksid's Girt Clog. It was specially made for John Waterson, the local molecatcher, who contracted a form of elephantiasis that greatly enlarged his left foot. The shoe measures 20 inches long and 16 inches wide.

This is just a ‘taster’ of the many pubs in Lakeland, and no, I haven’t been in them all - yet!

19 comments:

  1. Fabulous group of pubs - I love that Drunken Duck tale!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You make me want to call in every one of those pubs. I love the Red Lion.
    What a delightful tale about the drunken ducks, and it has a happy end.

    ReplyDelete
  3. how fun! love the names and stories behind them! like walking into history and having a pint to boot =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hic! What a great pub tour.... thank you! Loved the names and the stories!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I enjoyed this little pub tour! And that Drunken Duck story -- poor little ducks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. what fun. I would love to go pub hopping!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks you, all - I thought you'd like the story about the ducks!
    My favourite pub used to be the Queens Head in Hawkshead - have happy memories of fun games of dominoes there!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fabulous - you could do a summer holiday visiting them all!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dad would have loved the "Druken Duck."

    Again Paula, brava for the wonderful tales that take us into your homeland with such graceful steps. I've enjoyed each one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the atmosphere of the pubs in the UK. The last one reminds me first of the buildings in Chester and then of the streets I saw in Ayr, Scotland. I also love the colorful names they're given there.

    Visiting from the A to Z Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Laura - I have been to all but one of them (but over several years, not just in one holiday!)

    Thanks, November.

    SJerZGirl - pubs in English villages have a very unique atmosphere, I think (different from pubs in towns and cities).

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ah, what a delightful stroll through these pubs! Makes me want to start my travel plans right now!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would love to explore some of these pubs!!


    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, this makes me want to return to this lovely land and spend some time in the Lake District! I have not been there since 1994 and I want to go back!!! I confess the only pub name I remember was one in Oxford where I attempted to drink in as much writerly energy (a la C.S. Lewis and Tolkein) and a half-pint or two at the Eagle and Child aka the Bird and Babe. thanks for reminding me of some very good times I would love to build upon.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kathy - I'll try to find some photos of what they're like inside.

    Nancy - glad this brought back some happy memories for you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Pubs, you say? Okay then, now we're talking. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't think you listed a single one that I wouldn't simply love to go inside and soak in the atmosphere!

    ReplyDelete
  18. HaHa I love the Drunken Duck the best. I could see those ducks sprawled in front of the pub, their wallets snatched, their feathers disheveled and then on their way to supper. Whoever came up with this story, real or not, was good. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I guess the Lake District would not be complete without its Pubs...LOL. Great post, btw!! Love that name, Drunken Duck!!

    Cheers, Jenn

    ReplyDelete