Genesis, PART TWO, VII, 7.
Another of Poul Anderson's many inns, this one in York, 1900, in an alternative timeline:
Tudor facade;
signboard, GEORGE AND DRAGON;
a couples' entrance;
a wainscotted room;
plentiful, noisy custom;
thick tobacco smoke;
a quiet corner table;
a barmaid;
a brew with a Continental character.
There was a strong German influence out in the street. The amulets, speaking in Christian's and Laurinda's heads, outline the history that has led to this 1900 but, in this post, we are concentrating on the few details of the George and Dragon. Christian and Laurinda leave the pub and depart this world from the medieval wall.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Is a "couples' entrance" a British term? It seems to mean the entrance most people and customers would use. A back entrance/loading area would be used by employees and for receiving supplies.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
"Couples' entrance" is the term used in the novel, on p. 186. It is because unescorted women are not allowed. I have not encountered the term but presumably, if it was used, it would now be archaic.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I did wonder if Anderson was using a now archaic Briticism! If real, it might be more a 19th century term.
Ad astra! Sean
It's a genuine term. Most pubs had separate areas (or entrances) for couples; many banned unescorted women or banned women altogether, or limited women to picking up drinks at a separate entrance and taking them home.
There's a good scene in the "Peaky Blinders" TV series where two women enter a pub in Birmingham; the landlord starts to tell them they can't come in.
One of them then says her name is "Shelby", one of the family who run the gang for which the series is named. He immediately starts bowing and scraping and they get a table... 8-).
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Cool, "couples entrance" was a real term, an example of how thoroughly Poul Anderson did his research.
One thing I remember from L. Sprague De Camp and Fletcher Pratt's stories set in Gavagan's Bar was that women could not drink at the BAR, they had to sit at one of the tables. Even forty years ago I thought that rather antiquated!
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment