The pub was probably the long-demolished Park Hotel, a traditional,
multi bar establishment, that had seen better days. The pub was under threat of
closure and demolition, to make way for Ashford’s new shopping centre, which
explains the lack of investment. Shortly
afterwards my friends and I gravitated to the Invicta, a three-storey, corner
pub in the Godington Road area of the town.
Boston describes this effect as a “Symphony in Brown” but, as others pointed out, these are the colours of beer ranging from pale ales, through to bitters and stouts. The darker colours were often reserved for the matchboard section of the lower half. Public bars tended to be male dominated or had a preponderance of men - the classic, “lads of the village” type of thing, and were also home to traditional pub games, such as darts, bar-billiards, dominoes, or cards - the latter being strictly non-gambling games, of course. Perversely, despite their male dominance, public bars were often looked after by a female member of staff, most of whom suffered no nonsense from any of the customers, regardless of their sex. One example I recall well, was the Dog & Bear at Lenham, a large village between Ashford and Maidstone. The Dog & Bear was formerly a coaching inn, and like most pubs at the time, had two bars. The Public bar was called "Joyce's Bar", whilst the Saloon was called "Squirrel’s Bar" after the nickname of the characterful landlord, with his trademark handlebar moustache and mutton-chop whiskers. So Squirrel looked after Saloon, with its preponderance of female drinkers, whilst his wife Joyce kept stock of the male dominated Public Bar.
Saloon bars were nearly always carpeted and were decorated with much more ornate wall-coverings, including that ghastly gold and burgundy, "flock wallpaper" that became all the rage as the 1970’s drew on. The seating too was more comfortable, compared to the rather basic wooden bench seating and chairs, traditionally found in the public bar. In the saloon the chairs and benches would be covered and padded, providing seating that was far more comfortable, and also appealing to women. If you wanted a lunchtime or evening meal, this would normally be served in the saloon bar, unless of course the pub had its own separate restaurant.
When I went up to Manchester to study at Salford University, I had to get used to a whole new vocabulary when it came to pubs. Public bars were invariably known as the Vault, whereas saloon bars were more likely described as the Lounge Bar. Some northern pubs had a Smoking Room, and I recall one establishment that even had a Reading Room. If anything, the Vaults in some of these straight-talking northern towns, were even more male dominated then their southern counterparts. The same situation applied in the small number of pubs the operated an exclusively male vault. Women were barred from the vault, in these places, and I remember as a student, taking part in a demonstration against such obvious examples of sexual discrimination. Several months later legislation was brought in outlawing, such practises. This, of course, was a result of pressure being applied in parliament, rather than a scruffy bunch of students conducting an impromptu protest! Despite the claims of some historians, separate bars for different sectors of society was not an anachronistic survivor from a class-ridden age. Instead, there were sound practical reasons behind the styling of the different bars. Public bars, for example, were often frequented by men in overalls, covered in dust or plaster from nearby building sites. These were working people who would drop in for a quick pint, either at lunchtime, or on their way home. It wouldn’t have been practical for them to go home and get changed first. Conversely, city business men, dressed in expensive suits, want to be rubbing shoulders with other men, or women, wearing the same attire, rather than with tradesmen straight off the construction site. This is just one example of the benefits of a multi-bar pub, and another one that Richard Boston was keen to remind us of was, prices were usually lower in the public bar. As stated earlier, the public bar was traditionally the place where games were played. In addition, if a pub has two bars regardless of what they might be called, it is relatively easy to avoid a group of people or an individual you don't particularly like, but the most important factor for a traditional pub is it’s a place where people can feel at home. Despite these sound reasons for retaining multi-bar pubs, their numbers have continue to dwindle. Back in the mid 1970’s, when Boston was writing his book, the trend towards the abolition of the public bar and it's replacement by a barn-like interior was on the up. Unfortunately, that trend continued to gather pace, steadily but also stealthily, so much so that many of us didn't even notice it happening. Eventually a tipping point was reached, and now multi bar pubs are very much the exception rather than the rule, certainly in this part of the country. I have however felt heartened after recent visits to towns and cities such as Bath, Burton-on-Trent, Sheffield, Henley on Thames, Norwich and of course Manchester. If you know where to look, and you're a connoisseur of good pubs you can still find pubs offering a variety of different rooms to drink in, including some with traditional public bars, so good hunting!