Realities or mythologies: England's village pubs and counterurbanisation

Abstract

The countryside is again becoming a ‘popular’ destination for many as they seek to find residence away from the urban. Within this narrative of counterurbanisation village services, and interactions within them are often seen as being attractive and integral to the ‘dream’ of rural living. Yet the realties are often very different, as can be seen through the village pub. Whilst the village pub for many represents a space which goes beyond the consumption of alcohol and offers economic, social, and cultural importance, it can also be a space of difference and inequality. However, there remains a gap in our knowledge regarding the different narratives ascribed to the village pub from those who have moved or want to move to the rural. And how these narratives are often interwoven with the ‘rural idyll’ leading to inaccurate representations and unrealistic expectations of the village pub. The importance of this paper resides addressing some of the above gaps by looking at the village pub, its meaning and importance to individuals and communities in the context of counterurbanisation. By looking at the village pub through, an English rural county, and a cultural lens this paper highlights that the village pub is seen and experienced as adding value of different kinds – economic, social, and cultural, and that different groups attach different levels of importance to these kinds of value. Through drawing on Bourdieu's concept of capitals to explore these values it is shown that the different kinds of value attached to village pubs can work in the Bourdieusian interpretation as capital and be self-expanding and inter-convertible but can also work to undermine one another. Thus, impacting on how village pubs are seen and experienced within the context of counterurbanisation.