Sunday drinking before 1988, ‘rowdyism’ & Lords cricket ground
Those with long memories will recall that before the law changed in 1988, Sunday drinking hours in England were 12-2 and 7-10.30. It did not make for a relaxing drinking experience. This was not I think the motivation of the Thatcher Government but rather the desire to ‘liberalise’ and de-regulate things.
There were of course ways to get a drink on a Sunday afternoon. One could be a member of a private members club (never my idea of fun) or in the summer you could get a drink at a Sunday cricket match.
My late father and I often made our way to Lords on a Sunday- to watch the cricket. The bars were open but latterly they shut at 2pm and opened at 4pm because of what was described as ‘rowdyism’. The old Taverners Bar was the location for this activity, where you could stand and view the cricket. Unfortunately the beer was Watneys keg and so undrinkable (the Pavilion for members sold Fullers on cask..). Even so seating was introduced to stop people standing and drinking and eventually the bar was closed altogether.
The issue of drinking and ‘rowdyism’ at Lords, if the Hundred in 2021 was anything to go by appears to continue anyway..
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