Book review: ‘A Pub For All Seasons’

My mother-in-law has a strong dislike for the art of Tracey Emin. Although I’m largely ambivalent towards her work I always defend her on the basis that her output is unmistakeably Tracey Emin.

It is the same with the writing of Adrian Tierney-Jones. Among all the writers who specialise in beer his voice is the most unmistakable and we get plenty of quintessential Tierney-Jones prose in his recently-published book – ‘A Pub For All Seasons’ (from Headline).

Here’s his description of Lowestoft: “The Town centre felt as lost as a washed-up actor who had paid their dues in Ibsen and experimental theatre before treading the boards as a genie in a provincial panto.” What a glorious description for anybody apart from the natives of the Suffolk coastal town.  

Tierney-Jones could arguably apply such skill to any subject matter I reckon but in this case he uses it to explore how pubs change through the four seasons. He takes the reader around the country and into pubs often at quieter contemplative times and at its heart it is a gentle contemplative publication.

And he contemplates in some characterful pubs, which I know well. The White Horse at Edwardstone, The Haunch of Venison in Salisbury, The Roscoe’s Head in Liverpool, The Oxford Bar in Edinburgh and The Artillery Arms in Ramsgate all receive a thorough seasonal analysis from Tierney-Jones. Needless to say he frequently ventures into his two favoured local pubs the Bridge Inn at Topsham, Exeter, and the nearby Topsham Tap. I now feel I know them intimately despite having never been to Exeter.

His time in these pubs is often as an eavesdropper with an ear for catching the essence of the individual pub from the simple chit-chat of its locals. But the voice he’s most listening to is his own and the richest parts of the book are his evaluation of his time to date (often played out in the pub) and the sense of limited time left.

This manifests itself most powerfully in the brief passages on his ill mother and ultimately her passing in the latter part of the book. ‘Dedicated to Mum – 1932-2023’ gives an indication of what is to come. It is to some extent a love letter to things lost but such is the style of Tierney-Jones that this is dealt with in a light touch and ultimately the book is upbeat.

Thankfully we still have many pubs that have not yet been lost and even though the strapline of the book is ‘A Yearlong Journey in Search of the Perfect British Local’ it’s a bit misplaced as he’s arguably looking for something much more profound on his travels than an ideal boozer. And it is all the more personal, powerful and worthwhile for that.

Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider