In a small town in the North West of England, out in the hills of Rawtenstall, a place that made its name during the Industrial Revolution sits a bar called Fitzpatrick’s Herbal Health. It’s unlike many other bars you’ll find on street corners nationwide. You won’t find a pint of Guinness, no fizzy lager, and the thought of ordering a DIPA or the latest seasonal sour is a pipe dream. The bar is lined with cordials, herbal remedies, and sarsaparilla.
Fitzpatrick’s is one of the first and only original temperance bars that survive in the UK, opening in the late 1800s and welcoming drinkers ever since.
Temperance bars are few and far between these days but were initially set up in the late 19th century in conjunction with various temperance organizations to take a modern approach to life, particularly regarding alcohol consumption. For a period, they were trendy and were shared across many high streets, even being allowed to open on Sundays when English trading laws meant that pubs had to close.
They welcomed Coca-Cola onto the sures of the UK and helped make Vimto the household name it is today.
However, over the 100-plus years since, the fad didn’t quite catch on, with many of the original bars closing down, leaving only Fitzpatrick’s and a handful of others to ply their trade amongst a sea of pubs, cocktail bars and Wetherspoons. That was until recently.
Interestingly, today's millennials share the modern thinking approach that the movement was built on in the late 1800s. Over the last few years, we’re once again welcoming new temperance-style bars, often in line with charities, providing a safe space for people to socialize and enjoy an evening out without the need for alcohol.
This all comes against a backdrop of severe alcohol problems across the country, with more people in alcohol rehab than ever before and more anti-social behavior, domestic violence, and general health issues as a result of the substance. So, the renaissance of the temperance bar has arrived at the right time.
A report in the I newspaper highlighted the importance of such establishments, noting the UK’s love with the traditional pub and the nation’s social life revolving around the pub, combined with the fact that over half of the UK adult population is now buying no or low alcohol products essentially makes the temperance bar a match made in heaven and the perfect time for them to thrive. That’s not taking into account the current economic climate, of course.
In Manchester, a new non-alcoholic bar opened just a few months ago. At the same time, Universe in Coventry has developed a good reputation as a space for those looking to maintain their sobriety to hang out, and it’s a similar story in many bars up and down the country.
Over the next 12 months, it will be interesting to see how that continues to develop and whether temperance bars can have a lasting place on the British high street and at the center of communities. The current climate and sentiment among millennials and Gen Z are that they could be the perfect fit for socializing for the foreseeable future.
