The final event of the Tavernsproject, a wide-ranging workshop that was held just before the summer break in Bristol, is now posted on this site. It’s an edited version of the proceedings, including brief talks by the project researchers, and the roundtable discussion that followed, with a panel comprising several policy experts as well as Bristol licensing managers and police.

The idea was to see how historical case studies could inform current debates about pubs and drinking, and vice versa.  For my money, it was fascinating to engage with people who are at the front line today of regulating venues, and policing and shaping city centres. What we ended up with was a discussion that touched on – and this hardly covers it – the nature of property, the politics and economics of public, private and civic space, and the social cultures of drinking.

David Rosenthal