Changing signs of the times

Historically significant pub signs are in serious demand. Andrew Burnyeat takes a look at what’s on offer

Ever played British pub sign cricket on a long car journey?

It’s not so much a game for the motorist but for the passengers, who score as many runs as there are legs on each pub sign they spot, but are deemed to be ‘out’ when they come across any sign with a royal reference. Signs with no legs score zero.

It’s a game less often talked about these days, but with today’s congestion levels on British roads, it might help relieve the boredom on tedious journeys. If you’re stuck on a British motorway of course, it’s little help.

But interest in pub signs is as old as the country itself. The more so these days with many pubs closing down, meaning that treasured landmarks and pub signs are lost.

One iconic example is the red Bass triangle, which used to adorn thousands of pubs.

There’s been a brisk trade in pub signs since the Bass red triangles started to disappear from pubs all over the north of England and elsewhere.

When United States brewer Coors and its Belgian rival Interbrew swallowed up the old Bass empire, the red triangle no longer represented anything more than a pint of Bass – no longer was it the universally recognised symbol of the pub estate and the breweries.

It was therefore no longer appropriate for so many pubs to carry the sign.

A source at the Derby branch of the Campaign for Real Ale said: “The red triangles started disappearing within weeks.”

Whether for sentimental or financial reasons, the Bass signs – once one of the most recognised brands in the.....

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By Andrew Burnyeat

Section : Collecting Beer

Page number : 61