When I lived in Langley in the early 80’s, my local had a G.O 
How times change
Talking of the off license (a place to buy beer and pop to take out) which consisted of a little window at the front of the pub, lounge to the left bar to the right, you would go to the window and either ring a bell or knock it to get the owners attention.
There used to be one at the swan inn on the pelsall rd in Brownhills, and there used to be a 5p tariff on the bottles of pop to encourage you to return them to the pub you bought them from.
But they didn’t like you returning the pop bottles that you had had from other establishments, because obviously the other place had taken the extra 5p.
So they started to stick little stickers on the bottles to denote that you had bought it from them.
So we used to take the bottles back, get the return money, then watch where they put them, in the instance at the swan, they put them in the shed at the back of the pub, so we used to climb over the fence at the back of the railway line, take the bottles from the shed and return them again and again and again 
It was strange looking back but it seemed perfectly natural 30 odd years ago. Bar was no frills and you’d play pool, there would be old fellas in there playing dominos, often an old fella with a dog nursing one pint of mild for hours seemingly content watching the world go by. Sometimes an impromptu song song would burst out. The lounge was a more sombre affair with couples on what would now be called “date night”. The lounge would be busiest and liveliest on Friday and Saturday nights because a younger crowd would drink in the lounge before going clubbing. The dressed up for a night out meaning the lounge was the most appropriate choice.
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I had a friend recommend I watch this sometime. I’ve watched a bit. Can see some of the things Jumbo mentions.
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Used to call the off licence the “out door” by us.
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This sounds brilliant. P.T.
Ye lol or the offy
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Pubs aren’t the same anymore any that survive this will be big chains that serve food etc I remember pubs having a bar and lounge until around the late 90s sure some still might.the smoking ban didnt help old fashioned pubs either
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Yes, that sounds right. If out with mates then probably in the bar, if with a girl, or out for a drink with your parents, then it would be the lounge.
And back in the 70s and at least some of the 80s, you could take your own food to eat in a pub, certainly at lunchtimes. If you were drinking, you could take your own sarnies, and on a couple of occasions I saw people having “proper” meals, all plated up.
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The smoking ban didn’t affect the bars in Tenerife, because if you wanted one you just got a table on the terrace outside, and with temperatures still in the high 20’s at 10.00pm it was a no brainer.
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I remember a few years ago, i used to go and have a pint with my old mate Brian Sumner in the Farmers boy in Rushall, but he used to spend most of his life in there much to his mr’s annoyance, so one sunday she walked round with his sunday dinner and plonked it down on the table saying “you spend most of your time in here you may as well eat your meals in here to”
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Worked in Dudley 40 years ago and I loved Julia Hansons beer. The Mild was fantastic.
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Then there was the oddity of The Snug. A private little room with frosted windows. Always had access to the bar. My earliest memories that might be faded is that the snug was for women to meet and chat but around by us it became an unofficial office for some of the more notorious characters. Sometimes me and my mates would go into the snug at our local because it was like having your own private room but if certain blokes turned up we just left. No words needed and certainly no “but we were here first”. The snug was often the only place in the pub where the landlord would turn a blind eye if you had a bit of an illicit card school on the go.
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They still have a snug at the dog and partridge in calf heath, we had it last year for about 8 of us wanting to eat together.
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I think we did too. If I was staying at my aunties house when I was a little lad I’d help her carry the empties back to the Villiers Arms in Bilston, and she’d buy me a bar of chocolate, and get a few more bottles of stout for herself.
In those days I don’t think many shops were open after early evening, so the offies, or out doors, probably did a good trade.
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My old man used to drink in The Smoke Room in The Archers on The Yew Tree. Always puzzled me why it was called that when you could smoke anywhere in the pub.
On the odd occasion Mom went with him, they used the lounge.
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Anyone remember the delves pub was a huge pub on my estate when I was younger . Wasn’t old enough to go in there before it closed but remember it having at little off licence in the centre for people to take beer away.
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I used to play darts in The Delves in the late 70’s. Was a regular in The Tiger in those days.
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I might be getting mixed up but did Ena, Minnie and Martha used to drink in The Snug of the Rovers Return in the early days?
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Ye didn’t they knock it down and build a care home on there?