Child Free areas

[Cassius]

Hi - I am new to the Forum and have found it very interesting.

Now that pubs/bars/restaurants are all smoke free, do you think it would be a good idea for some places to put aside an area to be child free so that it would be possible to have a beer/chat/meal without little Jessica climbing under the table, or falling over toys by the bar (The Herne).

I'm not suggesting going back to the days when children didn't go out with their parents or even the return of the dreaded children/family room, but just that some places such as the ex non-smoking areas, i.e the back room of the Palmeston, the back area of the Black Cherry, etc are child free. Surely mothers would appreciate that too, they'd know which areas to avoid! and if they fancy going out sans enfants they would know where to go.

Incidentally if there are any totally CF bars/restaurants in the area that anyone knows of I'd love to be told.

[Brendan]

I?ve never seen a child in the Crystal Palace Tavern. I don?t know if it is policy or not. They don?t serve food.

No children though. Plenty of childish behavior but no children.

You don?t seem to see many kids in the EDT either.

[citizenED]

I agree Cassius - In principle it would be nice to have child-free areas in pubs. Should be easy enough to do. In fact the Pavilion Cafe in Dulwich Park do it, with one side set aside for adults only. If they can, surely pubs can.

Brendan, you don't seem to see many kids in the Castle either. (They are quaffing Guinness and fagging it outside though)

[Thequietone]

Bar Story in Peckham has an intriguing notice stating the place is unsuitable for children supervised or not.

Paul

[Jah Lush]

The Dulwich Woodhouse, The Clockhouse, CPT and I think the Magdala is childfree too.

[Ant]

Magdala isn't, Jah. Not at a weekend lunchtime at any rate.

[Curmudgeon]

Isn't everywhere after about 8pm childfree though

[pk]

i don't bother responding to most of this stuff, but i can't believe how much people go on about kids - what is the problem? it's not exactly as you want it? but what is?

as pointed out on this thread there are many places that are child free or very nearly - but if that ain't enough for you why not open your own place and have whatever rules you want?

[Jeremy]

pk Wrote:

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> why not open your own

> place and have whatever rules you want?

What a silly thing to say.

[pk]

why is that silly?

if the market doesn't offer what you want why not put it together yourself and if you're not alone fill that gap in the market and fill your boots

[Cassius]

Er pk;

a) it's not exactly illegal (although obviously in some people's eyes immoral) to not wish to spend one's leisure time surrounded by other peoples children and

b) I was not suggesting no children ever but until recently one could go somewhere during the day for some adult conversation. I am not objecting to children being out with their parents, but the pendulum has swung so far that it is hard to find anywhere without them.

c) thank you to everyone who made suggestions of places that are more cf - I will try them out in due course.

[pk]

of course it's not illegal, just intolerant - as pointed out it's not at all hard to avoid other people's children

what i said in my first post was that i don't get the intolerance - and i don't

[Salsie]

Why should people without (and with) children not be able to go to a pub and have a drink without children running around. You have to be an adult to have a drink so surely this is not such an odd thing to say? I'm sure if a childrens playground was overrun with adults drinking alcohol, parents would have something to say something about that. I appreciate it's not entirely the same but the principles are....

[pk]

salsie - they can - every evening in pretty much every pub and every day in many pubs

if you want to play with principles then why should people not be able to enjoy a drink with their children without intolerant others moaning about it?

[Ant]

It's a perfectly fair question. Some people want to drink without kids about - I'd prefer they asked which pubs are kid free and went there rather then going to bekidded pubs and moaning. (I have kids, btw, and often take them out to pubs for lunch.)

[Cassius]

I didn't say children shouldn't be out, I said it would be nice if SOME pubs provided an AREA where there are no kids. I am fed up with trying to eat a Sunday lunch with the fear that the small boy who thinks he is an aeroplane colliding into me and the open bottle of red wine on the table.

Incidentally does anyone know when the licensing laws changed, I am sure you used to have to be at least 14 to go into a pub in the old days and that was only if eating a meal.... or have the mists of time impared my memory

[pk]

Cassius Wrote:

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> I didn't say children shouldn't be out, I said it

> would be nice if SOME pubs provided an AREA where

> there are no kids. I am fed up with trying to eat

> a Sunday lunch with the fear that the small boy

> who thinks he is an aeroplane colliding into me

> and the open bottle of red wine on the table.

>

> Incidentally does anyone know when the licensing

> laws changed, I am sure you used to have to be at

> least 14 to go into a pub in the old days and that

> was only if eating a meal.... or have the mists of

> time impared my memory

and the thread suggests that there are such pubs

oh and

The licensee has overall discretion over whom he or she allows into the pub.

The Licensing Act 2003 swept away the vast majority of restrictions on allowing children in pubs. Each pub now has a unique set of conditions on the licence which sets out how the pub operates. Generally speaking, children are allowed to enter a pub unless it has a particular licence condition which says children are not to be permitted.

[Cassius]

Well funnily enough I asked the question before I got the answers - I find that usually happens. Now I have the answers I will look out the pubs that have been recommended.

Incidentally I have no problems with well behaved children ...............

[Salsie]

Nor me! Have problems with badly behaved children that is! I also don't have huge issues with children being in pubs and I suppose my main gripe is Sunday lunch time when certain pubs are overrun with children who run around for hours! I do know there are of course other pubs I can go to to avoid this, which I do.

[pk]

it is an unfortunate truth that not all kids (or any kids) are good all the time, and sometimes it is hard for parents to know when their child is going to be 'badly behaved'

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Child dislikers...boooo hiissssss!>:D<

I am joking, there is a place for everyone! I find getting drunk is quite an effective of way of helping to ignore the children in pubs.

[EDOldie]

I blame the parents myself, but lunchtime in Green & Blue on Wednesday!! Quel 'orror. I think everyone in there was thinking of recipes involving the use of small children

[Cassius]

Well this is why I brought this up - when last in Devon we visited a bar/restaurant where you can have Sunday lunch in both areas but the bar area is CF whilst the restaurant is Child Friendly. Same food, same staff, just a different ambience. Surely not too much to ask. Incidentally the bar area has 10 covers whilst the restuarant has 40 - so it's not as if parents were getting the bad deal!

[Jeremy]

pk Wrote:

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> why is that silly?

>

> if the market doesn't offer what you want why not

> put it together yourself and if you're not alone

> fill that gap in the market and fill your boots

Yes, what a great idea. If there's no pub which ticks all your boxes, open one yourself. Because we all have the time and money to do that, don't we?

[pk]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> pk Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > why is that silly?

> >

> > if the market doesn't offer what you want why

> not

> > put it together yourself and if you're not

> alone

> > fill that gap in the market and fill your boots

>

>

> Yes, what a great idea. If there's no pub which

> ticks all your boxes, open one yourself.

or if you're not prepared to then accept what others offer