The British pub is a sanctuary from the turmoil and tedium of the modern world. It offers a sense of history and tradition, remarkable hand-crafted beers, traditional food and, increasingly, decent wine. The best pubs feel cozy, like the study of a university professor or retired adventurer’s library. Others owe their allure largely to their location – hidden away on a cul-de-sac near the River Thames, on a hillside overlooking shamrock green pastures, or on a seacoast with a panorama ready-made for a landscape painter. A truly great pub will transport its patrons to a time before the Internet. Conversation at the bar with fellow drinkers tends to be congenial, relaxed, and inclusive in a country that has been transformed by immigration and travel. Everyone is welcome in the pub. Yet good pubs are becoming harder to find. Every 12 hours on average one of the UK’s 47,000 pubs closes its doors. the victim of changing lifestyles, high alcohol taxes and the rising value of real estate on which pubs sit. Once “the beating heart of many communities,” in the Guardian newspaper’s wistful phrase, one “filled with sharp conversation, cheap pints, and good atmosphere, steeped in our collective nostalgia,” today’s local pub is likely the property of a multinational brewery. The pubs depicted here, however, are genuinely historic and reflect the sights and sounds of a world that, while endangered, remains very much alive. For further information about these images or other photos by Steve Raymer please connect with him here.