Public houses are an important part of Wiltshire's social life. The pub is more than just a shop where drinks are sold and consumed.

For centuries it has been a place where friends meet, colleagues 'talk shop' and business people negotiate deals. The place where people gather to celebrate, play games or to seek quiet relaxation.

Due to changes in the law, the pub is now a place for families. It is re-establishing itself as the place to eat, a tradition that all but disappeared after the last war. Many provide affordable accommodation, particularly in rural areas.

Popular Pub names! The Rovers Return, the Queen Vic, the Bull and the Woolpack are all well known English pubs, but you can't have a drink in any of them. That's because they exist only in soap-opera fiction. They illustrate how the pub is at the heart of the community, in villages, towns and cities, all over England.