This film is part of Free

The Pub with No Name

The pub with an open door policy

News 1964 5 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

TV reporter Clive Gunnell reports from a mysterious cottage in the Somerset countryside. It's a pub with no name, which is better than pub with no beer - or cider, as in this case! Anyone wandering in through the open door to the cottage may hear a voice kindly requesting them to serve themselves. Clive helps himself to a drink at the unattended bar and follows the direction of the voice.

The publican farmer and cider maker is interviewed about his extraordinary endeavour. The choice is limited to rough and sweet cider but his punters are not fussy. For five generations here, they have grown their own apples for cider but this is not enough to satisfy regulars or strangers. It may also date from a time of the first licensing laws where the 1830 Beerhouse Act enabled anyone to brew and sell beer on payment of a licence. If the Pub or Inn and Landlord or Innkeeper had no name then they could not be taxed!