Quote:
Originally Posted by wodin
They had an uncivilized custom there, in that they would shutter all of the pubs during “Queen’s Hour”, which as I recall happened every day between 2:00 and 4:00 PM. The locals called these unfortunate periods “Tea Time”, and they were most inconvenient for a young Yank sailor with limited free time.
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If this is over fifteen years ago that was just standard British licensing hours, (introduced during the first world war to increase munitions factory productivity), and was abolished some years ago. Pubs now generally open from 11am or noon to 11pm now, though some can open later.
I remember one way around this restriction was to get on a train with a bar, which was not covered by the same licensing rule, so you could drink all afternoon. The simplest way in London was to hop on a train to Brighton, and then come straight back.
Another way around the rule was to join a drinking club, a private members club, which was allowed to serve all day.
If you weren't a member of a private drinking club you next option was to get a 'lock in'. In other words, make friends with the bar staff, and stay behind when they closed.
These days, if you have a very late night and you want a nightcap around 6AM you have to go to the pubs around the various markets dotted around London like Smithfields, as some of the pubs have special dispensations to open at odd times.