h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Swan and Cabbage.

This is not a modern daft made up one a la Slug and Lettuce, but a tailoring district one, the swan being an allusion to the shape of the neck of the iron used for pressing garments and the cabbage, the scrunched up ball of off-cuts picked up off of the floor.

But I have googled swan and cabbage and can find no reference. Anybody seen one? I believe that there was one in London at some time.

PP

Just posting to remind myself to look it up in my London books when it's not two hours past my bedtime.

Most pubs in Ireland are just named after the own. "Molloy", or "O'Donoghue". But there are a few very old ones with more English-sounding names. Here in Dublin we have the "Cat and Cage" (17 something), and the "Bleeding Horse" (1649).

I remember one somewhere deep in rural Hertfordshire called The Case is Altered. Never worked out what it meant though.

That's not one I've come across before. Have you tried contacting the pub history society - http://www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk/

Thanks. Interesting link.

PP

Found it this is the one.

http://www.morethanjustapub.co.uk/thecaseisaltered/

Googling it there appears to be a number of them.

There is a Pub called The Case is Altered near my old house in Bedford (actually in a village called Ravensden just outside).

It was used as a courthouse in the Civil War - hence the name. Not only that but as well as a weird name, it's a weird pub. More like somoene's front room than a pub.

Got to be 20 years since I went there though - it may have changed...

Sadly it's gone apparently
http://www.ravensden.org.uk/History/oldpubs.htm

We had a pub next to the oil refinary called the 'Cat and Cracker'.
Oil refinary has gone now, not sure about the pub though.

There's one here in Aberdeen across from the Sherriff's Office called "The Tilted Wig" where the solicitors etc (with their wigs) used to go for a drink inbetween court cases. So, when they got pished - tilted wigs ....!!!