It was interesting going out shopping this morning and returning soon after midday, to see how quiet Chatham town centre was – I'd say little more than a third its normal level of activity at that time on a weekday.
However, inside the Pentagon Centre, it was more like somewhere between half and two-thirds normal activity level, say three-fifths or thereabouts for a rough-and-ready figure. This includes inside Sainsbury, which seemed to be a little over half its usual weekday 'footfall' level at this time (around 11.30 to 11.50 am).
The only outdoor situation that closely resembled normality was outside a couple of the four pubs I pass on my way to and from the Pentagon, one of which has no provision for 'street patronage' (for want of a better term) anyway. In Military Road, though, the usual size gathering outside the Prince of Wales showed that some institutions are scarcely affected by the significance of the day.
Whether or not that is a good thing I cannot say; but there it is...
I have no idea what the other Medway town centres were like, but I thought this brief first-hand snapshot might be useful to place on the public record.
I was under the impression that the tradition going back to at least the 19th Century was that at Christmas and Easter, the working class men retired to the public house for a few hours whilst the women cooked and/or cleaned? Save for the likelihood of there being women in the pubs rather than at home, they are just carrying on the tradition... ;-)
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, Gillingham was busier than usual for a Monday - though that probably had more to do with a certain football match attracting almost 7,000 people than the significance of the day!