Changing places: investigating the cultural terrain of village pubs in south Northamptonshire

The new squirearchy and emergent cultures of the new middle classes in rural areas

“…These advantages proved to be highly valuable when amassing 'data', and developing and refining working hypotheses in the course of undertaking research. 1 It was my observation and experience of the 'performative cultural terrain' of the village inn, discussed at length elsewhere (see Maye et al, 2005;Heley, 2008a), which alerted me to the possibility of an emergent New Squirearchy in Eamesworth. The significance of the pub as a site of differentiated performance and boundary-marking along class lines has been has been discussed at length by Bell (1994, pp.…”

Community Cohesion and Village Pubs in Northern England: An Econometric Study

“…As reported by MAYE et al (2005), each village pub has its own unique cultural terrain that consists of a networking system linking villagers, traditions and modern facilities. For the villagers, 'the pub may operate as the centre of their social life, especially if there are no other alternative social facilities ' (HUNT and SATTERLEE, 1986, p. 523).…”

“…Historically, pubs developed in a variety of forms, from businesses serving drinks only to businesses serving food or providing accommodation and other services. The importance of pubs in British culture, economy and society is widely acknowledged and has been analysed in a number of studies (JONES et al, 2000;PRATTEN and LOVATT, 2002;PRATTEN, 2003PRATTEN, , 2004MAYE et al, 2005;JEN-NINGS, 2007). As BOWLER and EVERITT (1999) explain, the pub has been regarded for many years as a bastion of traditional English culture, and supports the formation of wider social networks in the identities they personify.…”

Community Pubs

“…Moreover, it seems that during the peak season, the pub trades on the fact that it is run by the community and appears to have successfully constructed and commodifi ed an image of a "traditional rural pub" (see : Maye, Ilbery & Kneafsey, 2005).…”

“…Pubs are places for people to socialize and hence sites which help foster community cohesion and social capital. The pub is also seen as an important locus for nurturing business opportunities and volunteer activities, as well as a vital source of jobs and economic vitality (Cabras & Reggiani, 2010;Maye, Ilbery & Kneafsey, 2005;Muir, 2012). Yet, the pub, and its associated social and economic benefi ts, are cast as under threat with the increasing level of pub closures, especially in rural areas.…”