jamesg1213
This part of Scotland has a complete lack of what I know as a 'proper pub'. There are either bars where guys go to get hammered and watch footy, or hotels where you feel out-of-place if you're not eating a 3-course dinner
We are not there yet in Devon but its moving that way, good traditional pubs are getting hard to find, particularly in the towns. A lot of village pubs are becoming community owned and providing other services, like a post office.
It all started when they started changing the names. The first time I saw this an old harbour side pub where my grandmother had served pints to trawlermen and mine sweeper crews in WW1 changed from "The Commercial Inn" to the "Sprat and Mackerel". Speculation was rife bout the next to change, my favourite speculative name was "The Babby Pout" (babby being Devon dialect for baby, and pout is fish of little commercial value.)
Mind you many of the new names you see are no less ridiculous.