Basketmakers' Rules

 My Saturday usually starts with coffee, a biscuit, and reading Boak and Bailey's weekly update - and so it was today.

What particularly caught my attention was the bemoaning of the (poor) use of seating (specifically benches) and tables in pubs.

The BBB and I frequently allude to "Basketmakers Rules" in our conversations about how people use the communal space in a pub.

If you've ever been to the Basketmakers in Brighton - especially on a 3pm kick-off home game Saturday - you'll recognise it.

Basketmakers is a Fullers pub that does good food and it's in close proximity to both "The Laines" and the part of town that has the buses that goes to Brighton's home ground.  As a result, when you arrive between noon and 12.30 on a matchday you enter via one of two doors and you'll usually be confronted by packed full tables (a mix of home and away fans, and other folk) and the casual observer might write the venue off as "nowhere to sit".

Hold your nerve.

There are usually a few free (tall) stools at the bar.  Go and get your beer, and perch on one of these.  Be casual, but remain vigilent.

In my experience within about 5 or 6 minutes a gaggle of people will finish their drinks, put their coats on and make to leave.  If they catch your eye, or you theirs, there will be a signal to take over residence of the resulting space.  Usually with a smile, often with a quip - it's how the pub works.  You sit, taking up as little space as you possibly can (no coats and bags on extra stools here, please).

If your party is smaller in size than the outgoing one, you make it absolutely clear that the remaining space is up for grabs.

Even if there are first time visitors (for surely, some of the throng are), they get the gist really quickly.  On the rare occasion that a "spreader" tries to claim more space than is necessary, someone will inevitably wade in with a cheery "Is anyone sitting here?" (hint: treat this question as rhetorical) and fill the space.  

The pub really benefits from having built-in benches around much of the perimeter and then countless  round cast-iron-leg-dark-wooden-top tables with oh-so-many stools.  It's a system that's worked for a couple of decades, I'm reliably told by the men who have been going here on matchday since they were very much younger men than they are now.  Even a change of hands (old landlord retired) hasn't appeared to dent the model.  

Even though, these days, I tend to avoid crowded pubs and bars - if there's an opportunity to meet our friend, M, who lives in London but is still a season ticket holder on a matchday - we don't have to "choose" a venue - we'll see him at the Basketmakers between 12 and 12:30.  And we'll enjoy it.

Related to the Basketmakers is the complementary post-match venue:  The Evening Star.

One time home of the Dark Star Brewery, it also seems unchanged in nature - or quality of offer.

Being within 2mins walk of Brighton Station also makes it the natural choice of venue for away fans going home after the match.  It doesn't do food, and it doesn't have loads of small round tables.  It has a few large tables and a couple of sort of booths with a goodly number of low stools.  Nevertheless, good quality sharing of space happens.

Within 30mins of the final whistle, the pub is full (tip:  if you're not watching the match get your beer in before this window of arrival).  Unlike the Basketmakers, there's loads of room for standing drinkers - and boy do they use it. But - if you want or need a seat one will become free sooner or later as long as you're prepared to share.

I've only once been given the evil eye when wanting to share a space but even then the culprit is a grumpy regular and even they knew sharing is required.

These pubs have greatly influenced my own attitudes to use of space in pubs - and on the (occasional) benefits of chatting to a stranger over beer.

They have also given me the ability - even in pubs I don't know - to cheerily approach a space that looks like it's mainly being taken up by coats and bags and ask "d'you mind if I sit here?"

On holiday in St Ives this led to a couple of jolly conversations about board games.  Fun times.