Bars, Public Houses, and Saloons

Abstract

Abstract Establishments selling alcohol for consumption on the premises were a feature of industrialized societies. Their origins lay in the European alehouse and tavern, but colonization and emigration took them to other parts of the world, notably Australasia and North America. Distinctive building types—the public house (‘pub’), bar, hotel, and saloon—emerged in a number of countries during the nineteenth century, combining social and communal functions with the sale of alcohol, their design influenced by regulatory pressure as well as commercial imperatives. The temperance movement had a significant impact, its campaigns leading to increased regulation of the sale of alcohol and, in places, its prohibition. Archaeological investigation can shed light on their development, construction, design, ownership, and clientele, as well as on the activities which took place in them, supplementing evidence from architectural study and historical research.