Andras Andor Jambor

Is this the future of the Pubs?

Archival and Digital Contemporary Photography This project is a documentation of disappearing traditional English pub architecture and culture in the East End of London. It stems from my ongoing interest in architectural and landscape photography and the love of pub culture, food and national traditions. According to CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) book \'Britain\'s Best Real Heritage Pubs\' (2013), the total number of pubs in the UK was 75,000 at the end of \'70s, and then decreased to 52,000 in 2013. Nevertheless, only around 250 of them still had an original un-retouched taproom interior. These traditional \'watering holes\' are closing down at an average rate of 25 per week. During the Covid19 lockdown, UK pubs temporarily closed their doors on the 20th March 2020. In May the UK government published their \'COVID-19 recovery strategy\' which stated that pubs could begin to re-open at the earliest on the 4th July but only if the businesses complied with the new health and safety guidelines. The British Beer and Pub Association reported that 40% of the 47,000 UK pubs would not re-open without receiving any financial support from the government by October 2020. This would leave the British pub industry on a cliff edge with the total number of surviving British pubs estimated to be 28,200 by the end of 2020. My series consists of both archival photographs and contemporary photographs presented as horizontal diptychs. The archival images were sourced from The Bishopsgate Institute Photography Collections, Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives as well as Collage, a London Picture Archive documenting pub architecture in the last 50 years. I have researched these locations and returned to them with the intent of photographically documenting this change. Whether the pub is open or closed, altered or converted, it is a cultural institution and part of the country\'s heritage. I found that every pub has a different exterior design matching with local traditions. After over a decade of working in English pubs, I have seen many refurbishments take place that leaves the traditional architecture nearly unrecognisable. Public houses have long been part of national culture and, for me, it is worrying that they may vanish soon. This project aims to raise awareness of the challenging times facing the pub industry and reflects on the disappearing tradition, and often overlooked value, of the history and heritage of the pub and its architecture.