Britain's Oldest Pub Will NOT Change Name, Despite Campaign...

[6Foot2]

Link: Britain's oldest pub will NOT change name, despite campaign from animal rights activists (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

 

Britain’s oldest pub will not change its name, despite a campaign from animal rights activists.

 

Christo Tofalli, landlord of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, has responded today to a letter sent by PETA asking it to change its name to Ye Olde Clever Cocks, in recognition of “compassion for animals”...

 

Sounds like a storm in a teacup to me. It has had the same name since 1872. I would have thought that would be long enough for it to be left alone?

[Norphy]

Do PETA really have nothing better to do? All off the things to mount a campaign against... ffs.

[synaesthesia]

PETA should be renamed PITA, because that's all they are. They have little to nothing better to do indeed, they have long since abandoned any apparent morals they have for the sake of sensationalism.

[Dos_Box]

Cockfighting has been banned in England and Wales (Scotland later on) for almost 200 years now! a name is a name and does not glorify or encourage such behavior.

In fact, most old UK pub names have a story behind them and should not be picked out by a single group for what happened a very long time ago IMO.

[unixman_again]

We have The Fighting Cocks in Moseley. I wonder if PETA know? When it was Firkinized, it was known as The Fieldmouse and Firkin at The Fighting Cocks but is now back to it's original name. It has a giant barometer thingy on the wall outside.

 

PS I thought the oldest pub was Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem.

[6Foot2]

...PS I thought the oldest pub was Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem.

 

It seems that it is up for discussion:

 

Link: Ye Olde Fighting Cocks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is a public house in St Albans, Hertfordshire, which is one of several that lay claim to being the oldest in England. In fact the pub currently holds the official Guinness Book of Records title, although there is little justification for it. Others such as the Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton, Greater Manchester and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham may have better claims...

[localzuk]

I think many people don't understand what PETA do. They are masters of PR. They get the animal rights topic into the news over and over again, by performing stunts.

 

No, they won't actually care about the pub's name. But they will care about animal rights, and getting this in the news will drive a few more people to their site and to their literature. If it makes one person change the way they live, in regards animals, then they will feel they have been successful.

 

There are loads of animal rights groups around the country and world, PETA is the only one I know of that consistently performs this sort of stunt. Animal Aid, VIVA, CIWF, etc... they generally focus on different ways of highlighting issues.

[Davit2005]

Really, Next it will be the Fox and Hound.

 

As @Norphy mentioned they clearly have nothing better to do.

[sonofsanta]

There's a Fighting Cocks in Horncastle as well.

 

What I find most amusing is how pertinent that name is to PETA's approach to matters. /cough

[Disaster]

We have The Fighting Cocks in Moseley. I wonder if PETA know? When it was Firkinized, it was known as The Fieldmouse and Firkin at The Fighting Cocks but is now back to it's original name. It has a giant barometer thingy on the wall outside.

 

PS I thought the oldest pub was Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem.

 

I drink in the Fighting Cocks!

 

I think every really old pub in England claims to be the oldest pub in England, I've been to about 3 of them

[mikeprice]

I vote for Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem being the oldest pub - but only due to many nights drinking there as a student

[Andrew_C]

There's a "Black Boy" just around the corner here... Gone for a just a chimney sweep on the sign in recent years. Used to be double sided, with a black* boy on the other.

 

 

*or some PC descriptor.

[Tesla]

The Cock Inn near me always gives me a chuckle.

[Joanne]

Not as good as the Moor Cock Inn

[Crumpet]

I don't see why they should change their name.

 

Whitewashing history doesn't change the fact that animal cruelty went on in the past or why it is now banned.

 

If anything i'd prefer it to stay.

[LeMarchand]

I think every really old pub in England claims to be the oldest pub in England, I've been to about 3 of them

 

Ditto that.

 

Not as good as the Moor Cock Inn

 

Named as a tribute to F/SF writer Michael?

[Joanne]

Named as a tribute to F/SF writer Michael?

 

I'm gonna go with.... no.

 

[SteveT]

A pub in Carnforth thought of changing its name a while ago as they got fed up of the letter C being painted out on its signs. Its not a bad pub actually ..... called the Canal Turn!

[nyiss]

One on the Wirral called 'The Cock and Donkey', seems like an unfair fight to me!

 

No word of a lie it's across from an e-cig shop called 'Suck it and See'

[LosOjos]

There's an entire area just outside Wolverhampton known as Fighting Cocks.

 

PETA are quite frankly a disgrace these days. If you haven't yet, I recommend reading about the behaviour of their representatives in New Orleans following Katrina (SPOILER: they killed many family pets and vandalised homes who were known to have pets)

[CHR1S]

I drink in the Fighting Cocks!

 

I think every really old pub in England claims to be the oldest pub in England, I've been to about 3 of them

 

Prefer the PoW myself.

[AJWhite1970]

There is a Fighting Cocks pub on the edge of the New Forest near Sandy Balls. The grockles clearly aren't offended by the name, the place is packed inside and out every school holiday...

[Andrew_C]

And more Bowdlerization... BBC page - not at all "rude".

[CAM]

"Furry Way" is on the list but Happy Bottom isn't? What a bizarre sense of offensiveness the organisers have.