Pub Life - Last Orders at Rhondda Pubs and Clubs past and Present

A revealing and humorous trawl through the drinking establishments of the Rhondda Valley in south Wales, UK. Pub Life details pubs and clubs past and present, highlighting the characters that frequent them and the impact they've had as hubs of the Valleys community.

‘A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there’s more conversation.’ So wrote poet and visionary William Blake.What Blake would make today of the dearth of the beloved local is another matter. According to Peter Roberts in his introduction to this warm, nostalgic Valleys’ pub crawl, quoting official figures, over 10,500 pubs and clubs closed in Britain between 2000 and 2018.To choose the Rhondda as an example of the demise is inspired. As the back cover blurb notes, ‘nowhere is it more evident than within the tightly-knit towns ... where these pubs and clubs were once full to the rafters as miners and others enjoyed themselves.’Within this broad community, the author has examined the imbibing history of twenty smaller communities that make up the two Rhonddas. In the first of these communities, Pentre, we are informed that at one time you could enjoy a pint in fourteen pubs in less than a mile. By 2022 there remained three.Let’s move on to Ystrad Rhondda. On the one hand it was the location of the first chapel in the Valleys, Nebo Chapel built in 1786. It was also the location of the first ever Rhondda pub, the Star. Nebo has long been closed, while the Star is now a NISA shop.And so it continues. There is nostalgia, yes, but no false sentimentality, no bitterness, no attributed blame. Rhondda pub culture, both past and present, has largely been ignored, so Peter Roberts has filled a void. He rightly reminds us that though things have changed, a lot of what is good still remains.Despite the loss of so many such social gathering places, this is not a mournful read. Indeed, the author is optimistic about the future. Pubs are being replaced by man caves and converted garden sheds where people still meet. He introduces us to gwli-guzling, a mode of alfresco drinking. He regales us with examples of today’s Valleys’ heroes and achievements. And he reminds us that just over the Rhigos mountain can be found the Penderyn distillery.This rich seam of Valleys’ life seen through the bottom of a pint glass is a lovely read. It is a veritable love token to the Rhondda and its people. And even though 2023 is still in its infancy, this to me could well be the book of the year.Iechyd Da! -- Lyn Ebenezer @

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