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Looking Down from the Whispering Gallery
BarneyUK the photographer
Houses of Parliament & Big Ben
Jumping by VTer GrantBoone, London, UK
Are there specific rules/laws governing if and when minors accompanied by their parents may enter pubs- during the day, for example, just to eat?
I'm not sure whether they changed it in the last licensing reform but the rule used to be that children were not allowed in bar areas. Children were allowed in dining areas without restriction, depending on the owners own rules.
Most pubs that serve food have areas set for dining and so children are usually welcome and many pubs actively promote their family-friendliness with children's menus and even high-chairs available.
There are also other rules regarding the consumption of alcoholic drinks by minors with meals but if you need info on that I'm not up to speed on current leglislation.
Pub meals were the mainstay of our last 2 trips to the UK. We never had any issues with getting meals - sitting at tables, not the bar. Both daughters were minors on the first trip and my youngest daughter was 14 on only last trip (summer 2008). No issues whatsoever.
There are laws, and the landlord or landlady of any pub has the right to set rules and also may refuse to serve anyone.
Thus individual pubs have their own rules, as well as those prescribed by law.
Time of day is irrelevant from a legal point of view. The law states children may go anywhere in a pub as long as they are accompanied by an adult (unless there are specific issues with a particular pub e.g frequent underage drinking) but it is entirely up to the landlord/lady to proscribe certain areas.
Most pubs will allow children in their dining areas (assuming they have them) and gardens (ditto) but many do not want them in the bar (often because their adult customers do not want them there).
The legal age for purchasing alcohol is 18, and the same for drinking it on licensed premises. It is illegal to buy alcohol on behalf of a minor. 16 and 17-year-olds can drink beer, wine or cider (not buy it) if they are eating a 'table meal' on licensed premises.
It is also an offence to be drunk in charge of a child under 7, in a public place or on licensed premises.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A266942
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Legal_drinking_age#4.
To summarise:
The minimum age for the purchase of alcohol is 18.
People aged 16 or 17 may consume wine, beer or cider on licensed premises (pubs/bars/restaurants) with a table meal.
In England & Wales, an adult must order.
In Scotland, no adult is required to be present.
The legal age for the purchase of alcohol from an off-licence (store/supermarket) is 18 (16 for liqueur chocolates).
In my former area of the UK several pubs admit under-18's (with their parents) up until only around 7 or 8pm.
As previous posters have said, within the framework of the law an individual establishment can set its own rules. There are many bars and pubs, mainly those that do not serve sit-down meals, that will not admit children at all. In almost all cases you will see notices posted at the doors setting out the admission policy.
In London you will find street preformers all over,,hehehe,,I kinda enjoy them :D so do my kids! Here is a picture of one predending to be a tin man!!! he moves only when you tip him,,it`s funny!
For a minute my 5 years old daughter swore that he`s a statue!!
visit the London Dungeon (not sure if this is correct), a very spooky place. My friends and I managed to see the changing of the guards from the best possible position: inside the gates in front of Buck Palace. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but one of my friends couldn't resist and I nearly wet my pants.
No convent is to be seen, no garden could possibly spring up between the the tightly pieced cobblestones. The name Covent Garden is all that is left to remind us of what once stood on this square.
No longer the vast fruit and veggie market of days gone by, the Garden still offers produce from colorful stalls like the one pictured. Other market stalls sell crafts, artisan goods or coffee. While away a lazy afternoon, listening to the opera singer or string quartet in the lower courtyard. Take in the juggler performing his act precariously perched on a unicycle at 'center stage', or the mimes acting up in front of the actor's church of St. Paul's behind the square. Adjacent shops are both high fashion (near the Opera House) or bargain basement (next to the Transport Museum). A smattering of everything that London has to offer is found right here, off Wellington and Maiden Lane.
The question of whether to leave a tip in restaurants, and how much, can be confusing, even to a Londoner. Traditionally England hasn’t had a culture of tipping, except perhaps barbers/hairdressers and taxi drivers. However as continental influences have become more prevalent, especially in Central London, the situation has changed and that’s what causes the confusion.
In many places a 12.5% service charge will be shown on the menu and added to the bill. You should pay this unless you have had really bad service in which case you are entitled to ask for it to be reduced or removed. You do not need to pay anything in addition to this 12.5%, in some unscrupulous places they add the service charge then expect a traditional tip as well.
If no service charge is shown or added then you can decide if you want to tip and 10% is a reasonable amount. Rounding up is OK as well but I guess anything less than £2 might be seen as insulting, it depends on the type of restaurant really.
One thing to note is that tipping in pubs and bars for drinks and food is not necessary. Some bars have an annoying habit of giving you your change back on a small tray after serving you with a round of drinks as if to infer you should leave it as a tip. This annoys most Londoners who as a matter of principle will take every penny of the change back.
I much prefer the culture in the US where I know that tipping is the convention but never feel that it is demanded, i.e. there are no uncomfortable times when you feel pressured into tipping by the attitude or posturing of the waiting staff . I think the main difference is that the levels of service I have encountered in the US have never made me want to withhold a tip whereas in London some waiting staff seem to think they can provide the most slovenly sullen service and still think they have a right to be tipped. Don’t be bullied or intimidated by this attitude.
If you are venturing anywhere beyond the main tourist sights, pehaps visiting friends or relatives, or some obsure shop then you will need one vital piece of equipment - the A-Z map of London. No other map will do, every Londoner owns one and even cab drivers (who are supposed to know every road within a six mile radius of Charing Cross) have been known to sneek a crafty peek when stumped.
It is very easy to read and use. Every newsagent sells them.
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