History
In the mid-18th century, gin became extremely popular as it was much cheaper to buy than beer. This was known as the 'gin epidemic'. By 1740, six times more gin than beer was being produced, and of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, half were gin-shops. The Gin Act 1736 imposed a prohibitively high duty on gin, but this caused rioting, and so the duty was gradually reduced and then abolished in 1742. The Gin Act 1751 was more successful: instead of a tax it restricted gin producers to selling only to licensed premises.
During the 19th century, licensing laws began to restrict the opening hours of premises. After the outbreak of World War I, the Defence of the Realm Act was passed by Parliament, which restricted opening hours for licensed premises to 12:00 to 14:40 and 18:30 to 21:30. In more recent times, the licensing laws became less restricted and allowed pubs to serve drinks up until 23:00, although nightclubs were allowed to stay open much later. Significantly revised rules were introduced in November 2005.
Traditionally, the phrase "Last Orders!" is still often used to announce the last opportunity to purchase drinks, typically ten or fifteen minutes in advance and is often announced via a bell. At the point when the bar will no longer serve drinks, the bar staff will announce "Time at the bar!", or "Time gentlemen please!" (again, either shouted or via the use of a bell).
The wartime restrictions in Scotland were not repealed until 1976 (possibly due to a stronger temperance movement there). However, the repeal of these laws led to a situation whereby Scottish laws were generally less restrictive, with local authorities being allowed to determine opening hours. Most Scottish pubs now open until midnight, though this is not universal.
Since 2000, pubs have been allowed to open for 24 hours during New Year celebrations.
Read more about this topic: Alcohol Licensing Laws Of The United Kingdom
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“American time has stretched around the world. It has become the dominant tempo of modern history, especially of the history of Europe.”
—Harold Rosenberg (1906–1978)
“In history the great moment is, when the savage is just ceasing to be a savage, with all his hairy Pelasgic strength directed on his opening sense of beauty;—and you have Pericles and Phidias,—and not yet passed over into the Corinthian civility. Everything good in nature and in the world is in that moment of transition, when the swarthy juices still flow plentifully from nature, but their astrigency or acridity is got out by ethics and humanity.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Literary works cannot be taken over like factories, or literary forms of expression like industrial methods. Realist writing, of which history offers many widely varying examples, is likewise conditioned by the question of how, when and for what class it is made use of.”
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956)