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The pub: it's been part of our landscape since time immemorial... hasn't it? And it's as English as the Cotswolds or the Yorkshire Dales... isn't it? Was there ever a time when there were no pubs? Who first had the idea that it would be jollier to drink your ale in the brewer's kitchen rather than in your own? And where do the French come into all this?
These are just some of the questions Merrie England: The Medieval Roots of the Great British Pub seeks to explore.
About the author
Ted Bruning was born in Wolverhampton in 1957 and acquired a taste for antiquities from his father, an architect manqué, and his mother, an inveterate romantic. After training and experience in local news reporting, his antiquarian leanings were given structure and purpose by a medieval history degree at University College, London. In 1986 chance and opportunity led him to the hospitality industry and bar trade press: he was news editor of the Morning Advertiser, the licensees' newspaper, and then editor of What's Brewing, the Campaign for Real Ale membership newspaper. Here he was able to combine his knowledge of the pub trade and love of history with books including Historic Pubs of London (1998), Historic Inns of England (2000), and London by Pub (2001). More recent works have been trade manuals including the best-sellers The Microbrewers' Handbook (2007, now in its 7th edition), The Craft Distillers' Handbook (2015; 2nd edition 2017; 3rd edition forthcoming), and the Bar Owners' Handbook (2019). Histories have included Golden Fire: The Story of Cider (2012) and Merrie England: The Medieval Roots of the Great British Pub (2014). He has also published a volume of poetry, Phantastic Songs from the World Next Door, and is currently planning a change of direction with Arthur: The Last Roman.
