All copyright of Simon Fowler who has allowed me to use his excellent work
A postcard of the Red Lion at Digby, Lincs taken in the 1920s. Salt's brewery closed in 1929.
Listed below are many of the sources which you might need touse if you researchthe historyof pubs at local studies libraries orarchives.
Census records between 1841 and 1891 (1901 from January 2001)
Newspapers
Directories, including trade and friendly society directories.
Maps - individual pubs shouldappear on large scale Ordnance Survey maps
Apprenticeship records
Brewery records The National Register of Archives should be able to tell you which records of breweries are held where.
Temperance records such as annual reports and pamphlets may also be a useful source.
Licensing records - Quarter Session records, petty and brewster sessions. A few early records are at the Public Record Office.
Records of clubs and societies may mention meeting at pubs and the facilities offered.
Private papers of publicans and pub working documents survive at local record offices.
Parliamentary papers, that is records of Royal Commissions, committee reports, debates, white papers on the licensed trade, drunkenness and the like.
Ephemera - old postcards particularly are an important source
Oral history of publicans, bar staff and locals.
Local Studies Libraries may well have newspaper cuttings, collections of old photographs, and collections of published local histories. The familia website shouldhave details aboutlibraries in your area.
National Monuments Record 'The National Monuments Record is the public archive of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. It holds over 12 million items including old and new photographs, maps, reports and surveys as well as complete coverage of the country in aerial photographs.' The site also includes a searchable database to some of the collection
The Builder started in 1843, it is a mine of information on domestic and foreign building developments from the perspective of the architect, engineer, constructor and art historian, including accounts of new buildings, materials, processes and books, and articles on ancient monuments and other historic buildings.' index on CD-ROM. Sample pages 1843-1852can be seen here .