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I'm not on about the pubs which served until 2am and such, but those which opened early for night shift workers, or market days, or had some weird variation of the licensing laws. I know of several close to where I live now.

I can recall that the Marquis of Granby in Worksop had unusually early opening hours on market days and was full of night shift workers at 7am. I was one of fhem! I seem to recall one at Cinderhill and one at Hucknall, just down a bit from where the pit gates were. Same side of the road.

The Bentinck close to Midland Station also had odd hours too. I can recall it being open very early having arrived on the last train from London.

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Although its not particularly early, if you're in Mablethorpe and fancy a pint at 8:30am then The Book is the place to go, @£1:50 a pint, but rising to £2 at 11am

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I started this thread because last week I visited a cottage hospital in Easingwold not that far from York. I was there about 7am and the pub on the market place was full. The market was being set up. It reminded me so much of my past in Nottinghamshire.

When I was a copper in Worksop in the late 70's/early 80s there were many pubs which had odd licencing agreements and you had to know them all. The bar at the railway station at Worksop had no limits. It could stay open as long as it wished. It was often closed but that was not due to the licence.

Also, my mum was a chef. She worked at various hotels around Nottingham, and usually the breakfast kitchen. I had to drive her to the hotels for not later than 5am, often earlier. I usually got a pint in at the hotel (it is now the Hilton) but much more often I drove back through Bulwell and Hucknall. I recall the pub not far from the pit gates. Can't for the life of me remember what it was called.

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Mercurydancer, I've mentioned before on Nottstalgia that my great grandparents kept The Station Hotel in Hucknall in the early 1900s. I've never been to see if it's still there but I think it was probably close to the pit as they opened very early in the morning so the night shift workers could get a drink before heading home.

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Midland Hotel in Newark was another which opened early on market days, the old Newark cattle market being opposite. I think there were one or two others as well, they used to display a special sign outside quoting the relevant by-laws.

As an aside; before the easing of licensing restrictions in the 1980's, the Great Central Railway used to have a hard-core of daytime drinkers who took advantage of the laws which permitted alcohol to be served on trains without time limits. Most were middle-aged men, all were reasonably well-behaved (though occasionally difficult to wake up after the last train pulled into Loughborough) and their descendants now probably inhabit Wetherspoons.

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When there was a cattle market in Loughborough(long gone) the Golden Fleece opened early on market days usually a Monday.

If some one missed work on those days he was said to be have had a "Moo Cow Monday" hellothere

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I'm sure miners welfares had early opening hours for nightshift workers coming off shift.

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Ayupmeducks

I can recall Manton pit in Worksop having an institute and a tiny bar, but mostly it served tea and bacon butties early in the morning. Cannot recall it serving beer, but not impossible. I just never saw it.

The mid-Notts institutes were probably bigger, and the one at Underwood was the biggest I recall. CIU affiliated, which is how I got in! My father used to drink there for years, but now goes to Selston.

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Maybe I'm getting mixed up with the last night shift prior to Christmas, Cliftons Welfare was on Bosworth Road, not too far from the pit, not that I could have drunk any beer at 7-00am anyway.

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Yes it's still there

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Thats the Station Hotel at Hucknall, I used to live next door but one, grew up there at number 3 Station Terrace, I lived there from 1945 - 1968........It was one of ther best pubs in Hucknall - all the best wedding receptions, dancing classes and special events were held there, I can remember listening to the sing songs around the piano on a weekend.... There was 2 main entrances and an Off Liscence in the middle where you could go in as a child and buy sweets and crisps etc, an old lady called Mrs Hanley was always sitting in there with her stout........It was run by Fishers, Smirth's and then Hector took it over until he left to run the Three Ponds in Nuthall.........Was always busy inside and outside on the benches in summer, I have such happy memories of growing up there.......WOW !!!!!

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Mercurydancer, I've mentioned before on Nottstalgia that my great grandparents kept The Station Hotel in Hucknall in the early 1900s. I've never been to see if it's still there but I think it was probably close to the pit as they opened very early in the morning so the night shift workers could get a drink before heading home.

I lived on Station Terrace, next door but one from that pub when I was a kid............I cannot remember the place ever opening early morning except for the cleaners.....

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As I remember Calverton pit had two canteens. The dry canteen within the brick built area milk, tea, butties etc. The wet canteen, long wooden building on top of the left hand bank as you walked down to the shafts, beer and spirits. This would be in the 50s.

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Newbasfordlad

Now that sparks a memory.

I attended an accidental death at Manton pit where two miners were cleaning a huge hopper type machine and the coal fell in on them. One died, and the other survived, miraculously, by actually going through the machinery at the bottom of the coal hopper. This was early on a night shift and by the time I had finished it was well into the afternoon the next day. I do recall having a drink of whisky with the miners in a canteen after finishing what I had to do for that day, which included a formal identification of the poor miner. The canteen does appear to have been a "wet" canteen. I was certainly not alone in drinking on that day.

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