Back to the Local

by Maurice Gorham, Edward Ardizzone (illustrator)

'Wonderful... a detailed study of life in London pubs... Sketching the people who frequented his favourite pubs in Camden and the West End on anything that came to hand - backs of cigarette packets, drinks mats, napkins - [Edward Ardizzone] and his drinking friend Maurice Gorham, art editor at the Radio Times, had a bar-side view of a British cultural institution.' Dan Carrier, Islington Tribune

In 1939 Gorham and Ardizzone published The Local, a work that suffered a shorter life even than was usual during wartime when its plates and all remaining stock were destroyed in the Blitz. But after the war was over the authors put together a new edition with a revised text and illustrations, Back to the Local (1949). The results are a delightful nostalgic ramble - a pub crawl, if you like - around the hostelries of London during a now-bygone age.

Genres: London, Nonfiction, History

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2008

Reviews

[Abby Schofield]

RIP Maurice you would’ve hated paying £8 for a pint

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick read. i know way too much about post-war pubs of london now

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three cheers for Faber for bringing this lost gem back to life in a handsome new edition. Originally published in 1949 it’s a vivid survey of London pubs, landlords, bar staff and drinkers, evoking what now seems like a lost world of, as the rear cover blurb has it, ‘a time of dark wood, dark corners and dark beer’. The book is a partnership product between the author, Maurice Gorham, an Irishman by birth, and a key figure in the early years of BBC television, and the great illustrator, Edward Ardizzone, whose evocative pen and ink drawings enliven the text throughout. Gorham is a bibulously entertaining companion and a man who really knows his pubs, never short of strong opinions about how they should look and how they should be run. You get the feeling that an evening spent in his company in some dark corner of a mews pub would be richly entertaining, but that one evening would probably be sufficient.

Back to the Local is full of good things, not least the informative and entertaining twenty-three page glossary (rarely a feature of any book that can be described as ‘entertaining’) which is itself almost a potted history-cum -sociology of the London pub. Faber has done a great design job, too. The cover of this paperback edition opens out to five times the width of the book revealing a map and list of all the pubs listed within that are still trading and any subsequent name changes together with one of Ardizzone’s most evocative illustrations.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a special little book, a snapshot in time of a postwar London through the life of its pubs. I have to admit I kept looking each pub mentioned up to see if it was still going strong! The illustrations are also lovely, and really add something. Reading this felt like stepping back into a different age, and it quickly became a book I couldn’t put down. I was greatly amused by the author’s horrified critique of social crazes of the time - including the darts craze!

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Info dumping about the great English institution

[Andrew Wyness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a creamy pint of Murphy’s in book form

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable you-can-smell-the-woodbines account of the London pub circa 1949, with many reminders despite its very good vibes of how class pervaded every single tiny detail of British society.

[Michael Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful short read that will enthuse anyone with an interest in beer, good company, and their local pub. Gorham understands what these things mean and captures the essence of this social activity brilliantly. Gorham was writing of an era long gone, but those of us who have ventured in some of the pubs he mentions, and many he hasn't, and who share his outlook, are able to look beyond the years and grasp the single truth that links his time with ours...namely, that what was important to beer drinkers then, is just as important to many of us now. Otherwise there would have been no beer revival, or campaign to defend our community pubs. Yes pubs have been transformed since Gorham's day but the spirit he invokes still exists if you care to look for it.

[Selin C]

A sweet Christmas gift, gifted by the sweetest person.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully short read taking you through the pub experience circa 1949. It was really interesting to find out that there were different sections of the pub depending on class and what kind of drinks they were serving regularly back in the 40s. As a Londoner who frequents pubs regularly, it was cool to find out the meaning behind signs you see all the time like 'Saloon Bar' and to know that places like The George in Borough and Ye Old Cheshire Cheese felt as ancient 60 years ago as they do now.

I got the 2024 edition of the book, which comes with a map of all the pubs mentioned in here that still exist today, which is really cool but I wish there was also a section where you could check at what point in the book the pubs were mentioned in!

Also, don't skip the glossary as it's a very opinionated glossary, which is really fun to read through.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a trip to the pub, especially if you live in London and can check out the places mentioned in here yourself :)

[Martin Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that was recommended to me by the Lyme Regis book shop. It’s a warm cosy stroll through a time just after the war when London pubs were coming to terms with beer shortages bomb damage changing tastes and licensing! It’s nostalgic yes but not overly so and the glossary is a wonder in itself. The illustrations deserve a separate mention as wonderful snapshots bringing the narrative to life even more. A brilliant read.

[CQM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little dip in, dip out, look at the great English pub in the immediate postwar years.
Lovely sketches by Edward Ardizzone, which I'd been familiar with for years, as they adorn the walls of my favourite watering hole.
Now I need to hunt down the pre-war book that preceded this one.

[Elena Jarmosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely little casual read for when the world feels oh so bleak - especially as this was originally written in the shadow of WW2. Might commit to a little adventure of visiting all the pubs that still stand to this day.

[Andy Holdcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most interesting reprint of a book describing a partially vanished environment & culture but one which has just enough resonances of things which survived into my early experiences. Oh for a time machine

[e · Rating 5 out of 5]

y'all there is a map hidden inside the cover, illustrating the locations of all mentioned pubs! 🍻

[Nata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a bit bored of pubs half way through😂😂😂

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

charming little tour of post war london pubs, v short - would make a good gift

[Elyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

[Florence Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

funky

[Charlie Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great, such a charming personification of the pub and the romance surrounding *the pub*. Interesting, heartfelt and scratches the itch of a true love letter to the pub.

Best read in the pub.

[Breandan White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel like romanticising the London pub is a lot less economically viable now

[Anand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful pub crawl in a Time Machine.

[Sam Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely, lovely, lovely little read

[Robyn vlok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew a book about pubs could make me laugh so much!

[Dan Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little read on the culture of pubs in London and one man’s look back and look forward.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.5/10

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be a gem when I visit London again and any pubs etc., . It will be my travel guide.

[Amanda Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's considerable charm is nonetheless insufficient to compensate for its sheer out-of-date-ness.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malcolm Gorham and Edward Ardizzone wrote and illustrated The Local before WW2, and this revised version was republished in 1949 as Back to the Local. It’s a nostalgic look at British pub culture that captures the charm of a bygone era. Ardizzone's illustrations perfectly complement the text with their whimsical, detailed style. Whilst it now seems very dated, the book offers a glimpse into this aspect of British social history, and is an evocative tribute to simpler times.