Preston Pub Sign Study The Old Dog

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Sadly closed down at present, this is a pub with quite a lot of history, not surprising given that it dates from at least 1715. The pub had huge stabling yards in the early days. A lot of coaching inns had stables for four to six horses – the Old Dog had room for up to sixty. The pub was probably trading very well just off the stable-staff and horse-owners. Dog can have a lot of origins in pub names. Maybe there was a particularly memorable dog at or near the pub. Dogs would have been used to guard the stables at night. Dog is often a slang expression for alcohol itself, hence the hangover cure that never actually works – having the hair of a dog – drinking leftover beer first thing after waking up the next morning. The dog in the sign is rather cute and looks photographically portrayed rather than painted. The Old Dog was popular with members of the early Wesleyan Church, including its founder, John Wesley, and services were held in the pub meeting rooms until the first Wesleyan church itself was raised nearby. A pub with so much history does not deserve to vanish. Arthur Chappell