Pubs come and go. Names change. Times are challenging...but then there is The Adam and Eve in the heart of old Norwich. Derek James pays a visit
Those of us of a certain age can wander through our streets remembering the time when the some of the shops or offices were once public houses.
And then there are those with weird and wonderful names which have emerged to give the taverns a new image in a bid for a better future.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Time is called for the last time and the doors are locked leaving just memories.
Running a pub is not easy and it never has been. Today it seems to be more challenging than ever with food playing a major role in the business. Competition can be fierce.
It is something of a miracle that it has survived battles and bombings, even civic vandalism, once rife, to emerge with a smile on its face.
The Adam and Eve, near Norwich Cathedral and the Great Hospital, which is said to be the oldest pubic house in the city, has a quite a story to tell.
One of drinking, smuggling and, yes, it is reputed to be haunted. Not by one ghost but two...maybe more. It oozes history.
Many a spook has been spotted, especially after a good night out, at this ancient watering hole.
The fascinating story of the Adam and Eve in Bishopgate is among 50 tales from across our neck of the woods told in the new Anglian Annals book written by Peter Sargent.
It was in 1249 when an army of stonemasons was working on Norwich Cathedral. They were thirsty. They were hungry and the Adam and Eve opened top meet their needs.
The monks from the Great Hospital were the first owners of the pub and the cathedral workers were the first recorded customers.
Beer was the tipple of the day. "Small" beer had a low alcohol content and was recommended for good health.
So the beer started to flow...and in 2019 it still is.
In medieval times beer was brewed on the premises. Many women known as the "ale wife" had the job. Famous traveller Margery Kempe of Lynn was the town's biggest brewer in the early 1400s.
As for those ghosts.
One of the medieval French-speaking monks buried underneath the floorboards in the lower bar enjoys a stroll at night and then there is "Sam." Lord Sheffield who died in the pub during Kett's bloody rebellion of 1549 who has been known to tap customers on the shoulder. It's true!
The pub was also a favourite haunt of smugglers in the mid-19th century when the landlady Elizabeth Howes who owned a wherry and did a roaring trade bringing "sand" from Great Yarmouth which was in fact liquor.
By the turn of the century the police were objecting to the licence being renewed. It was renewed but only if the licensees stopped locking the large gates late at night and preventing the police from seeing what was going on.
The Adam and Eve has always been a place which attracts the young and the young, the rich and poor...and the famous.
From George Borrow the literary giant to murderer James Blomfield Rush and from the late Sir John Hurt to dancer Wayne Sleep. As for today...I know many of the customers so I shall make no comment.
"Licensee Rita McCluskey has been at the pub since 2001. See sees staff and customers alike as a continuation of the long line of characters who make pubs the heart of their community. Long may it continue," writes Peter. Quite right.
Indeed she does. Cheers Rita and cheers to everyone running taverns across the city and county.
Anglian Annals by Peter Sargent is published by Paul Dickson at £12. Catch up with his latest news at www.petersargent.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here