The 12 Pubs Of The Golden Mile

August 24, 2022 // 36 Comments

Seen ‘The World’s End’?

Then what are your thoughts on the meanings of the pub names and signs?

Leave your theories below. And if you haven’t seen yet, beware spoilers.

1. The First Post

1. The First Post

2. The Old Familiar

2. The Old Familiar

3. The Famous Cock

3. The Famous Cock

4. The Cross Hands

4. The Cross Hands

5. The Good Companions

5. The Good Companions

6. The Trusty Servant

6. The Trusty Servant

7. The Two Headed Dog

7. The Two Headed Dog

8. The Mermaid

8. The Mermaid

9. The Beehive

9. The Beehive

10. The King’s Head

10. The King's Head

11. The Hole in the Wall

11. The Hole In The Wall

12. The World’s End

12. The World's End

SPOILERS BELOW!
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET!

  • Luca Davies

    note also that the hole in the wall could be a reverance to gary’s puching the wall in the cross hands.

  • tim

    The Hole in the Wall in reminiscent of the Hoover Dam found when folding certain american currency.

  • tim

    the countdown to Armageddon start’s December 21st 2012. The First Post could be 9/11. Also remember the date April 11th, or 4/11, just feels like it could be something. Oh and just remember… These psi-ops work on our primitive lizard brain… fear, anxiety and such. No amount of worry has every or can ever help anyone live a longer, healthier life. Take a break, hug your family, tell them you love them, live a lot.

  • Caleb Papay

    The kings head has a slight resemblance to Simon Pegg

  • Gabriel

    Also, in “Shaun of the Dead” they mention a pub called The King’s Head. This is probably Intentional.

  • Mat

    Also worth mentioning that in the UK “lose your head” is an idiom meaning to go crazy.

  • guest

    I cant speak to the most of these, but the Kings Head and Hole in the wall are linked for reasons that have nothing to do with the movie.
    First the Kings Head is a reference to King Charles 1st who was beheaded in 1649. There are a number of pubs in England and Ireland bearing the name.
    Now where Hole in the wall comes in is that in Galway Ireland there is a pub named “Hole in the Wall” as well as one named “The Kings Head”.
    Probs just a coincedance, but who knows.

  • Bender3000

    Hi I know this is a late entry but just had only seen this recently and had a thought about the meaning of the Kings Head. Pub names that refer to the King or royalty were done to show loyalty to the monarch.

    I think you can take what happens as Andy showing loyalty to Gary (the King). When Gary runs off to complete the crawl, Andy chooses to go after him and not leave him behind

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  • 13. THE RISING SUN.

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/17/RWS_Tarot_19_Sun.jpg/347px-RWS_Tarot_19_Sun.jpg An image of the tarot card, not the actual sign from the film, but similar in style.

    This pub name calls back to the morning of June 23, 1990, that blissful sunrise of the first day of the rest of Gary King’s life. It also refers to a new day, and thusly, a new start, specifically for Gary King, freedom fighting leader of his Blank knights, who chooses to challenge the haters in just the way Andy did at one time—by ordering water in a bar full of drunken rowdy hooligans done up in war paint.

    Now, *here’s* a bit of crazy. What if “sun” is a pun on “son?” (See STAR TREK TOS =) The Gary we see leading his band of Blanks into the pub might be a bit spryer, a bit more baby-faced than the 40-something Gary we’ve watched up til then, donchathink? Conspicuously clean-shaven, no? Remember Gary’s story about Karen Edgarton (Eggerton? Edgar-ton?) back in the Old Familiar? And his follow-up toast: To children—wherever they may be! What if this is long lost Gary, Jr.? After months of tracking Karen across the blasted British landscape, with the help of his Blank posse, the newly sober and enlightened Gary is united with his son. Perhaps Gary settles down with Karen while Junior is inspired to take up his father’s post-Network cause, as well as his place as King of the Blank Enablers, setting out on a quest to teach, spread, and fight for freedom and Blank equality. So, the rising son…

    … or something. =)

    Yeah, just crazy talk. More here: http://wuzzon.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-worlds-end-golden-mile-updated.html =)

    (I wanted to ask EW and SP about Gary, Jr. at their Brattle screening, but didn’t get the chance, foo.)

  • Okay, take a look at the sign for The Hole In The Wall. You see a hand, reaching through a hole in the blue brick wall, to offer the gift of a refreshing beverage. One pint, one cup. In the tarot, the Ace of Cups: a representation of love, forgiveness, and inner peace. All of which Gary is seeking, whether he will admit to it or not. The tarot card’s image is of a hand presenting a chalice overflowing in five streams that represent the senses.

    Now, take a look at this…

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Cups04.jpg

    This is the Four of Cups, which positively represents meditation, but negatively represents self-absorption. Descriptions of the Four of Cups explain that the man in the scene is focused on the three cups before him, meaning he’s distracted by personal, perhaps trivial, matters, and so, unaware of the opportunity offered in the fourth cup by fate.

    So, whaddyathink? Is that figure sitting beneath the tree not Gary, contemplating the three pints outside the Famous Cock, momentarily oblivious to the affection and love of his friends? (As well as their talk of Newton Haven not being the heart of anything—”If there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from.”—which of course it’s later revealed to be, y’know, of the Network’s regional incursion =)

    And isn’t that fourth Cup/pint presented as a gift offered by a mysterious hand, reaching thru a hole in the blue sky?

    I am *not* any kind of expert in tarot-ness and (selectively) lifted from resources on tarot cards on the interwebz. The design of the sun in the sign of The Rising Sun pub motivated me to actually look for tarot connections stronger than a passing resemblance to the “system” of tarot.

    Hope you enjoyed my crazy talk! =)

  • tippiviolet

    Well, I don’t know about anybody else, but I’d like to hear from The Man Himself as regards the meanings inherent here. But I hope for his own sake that he’s lying around….maybe not in the sun, as that seems to be something he’s not a fan of…..but that he’s relaxing somewhere and not even checking the interwebs. But it would be nice to get his input at some point. Are we agreed, people of the interwebs? I think we are.

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  • That Bojac

    As for Pub #13 …
    The song “Feeling Good” comes to mind.
    New Dawn. New Day. Rising Sun.

  • Zoë Ames

    1. 1st Post: can’t think of anything besides the obvious! 1st stop/former post office? ha

    2. Old Familiar: a little TOO familiar! The idea of Starbucking is introduced here…

    3. Famous Cock: Gary = (more than) a bit of a cock (this is the one he was banned from)! But also his expectations of local fame vs. reality (“Maybe we’re not the local legends you think we are…”) Basil appears not to recognize them/the bartender remembers them all too well

    4. Cross Hands: not sure, to be honest! This is where they take on the Blanks as a team in the Gents’ and afterwards decide to continue the crawl as a team… so unity, represented by the five linked hands on the sign? Idk? This is also the pub where Andy joins them in a drink or five…

    5. The Good Companions: they’re now pretending to be the “good companions”/five friends, on a night out, having the great time that Gary thinks they’ve been having all along! The dramatic masks represent them and the fact that they’re faking said great time—all except for the gold one, aka Gary!

    6. The Trusty Servant: this is the one where Ollie is replaced, after which he becomes untrustworthy and starts (servile-ly?) buying them all rounds? Like the man on the sign? Idk if that’s a stretch

    7. Two-Headed Dog: the twins? The fact that the dog is chained up references the Blanks’ slave status?

    8. Mermaids = seduction by marmalade sandwich!

    9. Beehive: they sort of get… swarmed by blanks? Idk about this one!

    10. King’s Head: not sure either? That portrait is definitely of Gary? This is where he abandons his friends yet again, in favor of finishing the Golden Mile, right?

    11. Hole in the Wall: made by the Beast…

    12. World’s End! End of crawl (which Gary never actually finishes, right? He never drinks that last pint)/end of Network infiltration of earth/end of Newton Haven and of world (as we know it, aka end of technology)/end of old Gary (ripping off his teenage self’s head)…

    13. Rising Sun: new dawn/fresh start! Gary ordering waters/being a true leader and fighting for his new blank friends instead of abandoning them and, in doing so, taking responsibility for the enormous mess he made by talking the Network into leaving Earth and the blanks it left behind… Gary embracing the idea that the possibility of a good time didn’t die on the morning of June 22nd, 1990, but recognizing the fact that said good times can include things like loyalty, responsibility, sobriety… and a really badass sword 🙂

  • Frack. Have I misremembered the good Reverend Green’s appearance as happening in The Good Companions instead of The Trusty Servant? Guess I’ll just have to see the movie again (bollocks! =)

    Still, I do feel that “Trusty Servant” does suit “Chamberlain” perfectly.

    Of course, “Servant” does kinda jive with the pub debate over the use of the word “robot,” as it is derived from “robotnik” which means “slave,” and neither the robo-sapiens, nor their human collaborators (the Rev Tyres and War Bastard and friend), would consider themselves slaves.

    The sign’s image does depict a decent match for the Rev and the two shifty sympathizers.

    Also, during the band’s visit to The Trusty Servant, the Rev is actually called on to become one (a Blank, trusty servant) after humoring the boys’ robot talk for just a bit too long.

    Now that I think about it, have I also misremembered Basil’s first appearance? I’m afraid so.

    He’s across the pub from the gang when they pile onto the bar in The Famous Cock, right? Which, if that’s the case, seems too bad, cuz I do like the idea of Basil being counted as a “familiar” in The Old Familiar.

    Nertz.

    Still, everything else I said. =)

  • Peggwhich

    Okay- some changes to my first thoughts…
    1) The First Post- named that because it was the first post office.
    2) The Old Familiar- Sam’s arrival…that could be the reason for the name- familiar, yet also different bc they *have* changed, but Gary is still the same.
    3) The Famous Cock- Gary is a cock (barred for life) for being a cock 😉
    4)The Cross Hands- where the fight breaks out, hence crossing hands.
    5) The Good Companions- the guys fought together and must stay together as a team to get through the night, hence the good companions.
    6)The Trusty Servant- they are not “robots”- robots means “slave”.
    7)The Two Headed Dog- the twins are the two headed dog.
    8) The Mermaid- the marmalade sandwich.
    9) The Beehive- The hive of blanks- where they are confronted by many blanks trying to convince the guys to become complacent.
    10) The King’s Head- Something to do with Gary King- (still not sure).
    11) The Hole in the Wall- they bust out through the window (Steve through the wall with the Beast), thus the hole in the wall.
    12) The World’s End- well…where the world as we know it comes to an end.

  • ModernDilettante

    I think there’s either a little more nuance than people tend to give the signs credit for, or else I’m reading way too deeply into things and ascribing completely arbitrary meanings, but, here are my theories, and obviously, spoilers:

    1. The first post: the first stop, obviously. The crossroads denotes a change in path but, significantly, there is no option to keep going straight ahead, one must choose left or right. I originally thought the post was a hitching post, implying the first stop on a journey, but the post box also evokes sending things elsewhere, starting here and ending somewhere completely different. Additionally, the blue background foreshadows the ubiquity of the blanks- they are literally all around them, but unnoticed because at this point everything seems more or less normal. The signpost itself evokes a XYZ 3-dimensional coordinate plane which leaves me with a sense that their future involves a whole additional plane - not just left and right and forward and back, but up and down (though I freely admit this is probably just me).

    2. The old familiar: obviously the reference to the similarity to the first pub, but the mirror image twinning of the beer mug also foreshadows the blank doppelgängers, particularly against the hazy blue of the background colors.

    3. The famous cock: there is no blue at all, probably because they don’t actually drink inside this pub, because Gary is recognized, and is also a cock. Could also be called the Infamous Dick. Gary still thinks of himself as the cock of the walk, as it were, thought the shiny gold of the sign is cracking and faded.

    4. The cross hands: there is blue all over this sign- both the splashes (indicating the fight? Blank blood spilled?), the overall background color of the frame, and the blue and white checkerboard, which I think evokes both a sense of a chess match between the humans and blanks, and the fact that at this point they think that SOME people are not hat they seem, not all. They are obviously banding together as a team. One of the hands has a wedding ring, though two are ostensibly married- this foreshadows Andy’s marital troubles, I think.

    5, the good companions: first off, I think it’s interesting that it’s called the good companions but four of the faces are frowning. In part, I think this is meant to represent Gary et al, but I think the identical blue faces also evoke the duplicate blanks lurking behind a seemingly normal, happy facade. Everyone behind the happy guy is a tragic shell of themselves, and they perhaps are just starting to believe that things are really starting to go off the rails, but have to keep pretending that everything is normal.

    6. The trusty servant: reverend green, cloaked in a blue vest which implies his allegiance, serving shadowy bluish figures in the background. Servant, NOT slave, not robot (in theory, at least).

    7. The two headed dog- implies the twins, presumably, and their combo-combat. Could be renamed Franken-Bitches. Blue smudges foreshadowing blank injuries ? Also evoking duplicates and copies in general, and copies springing from the same (genetic) source.

    8. The mermaid: marmalade sandwich and siren lures, as mentioned elsewhere. Also, those three rising from a sea of blue, or standing out in the nightclub, a sea of blanks. Tails are blue (part human, part blank), and there is a smudge of red on the redhead, foreshadowing her injury at the hands of a human?

    9: the beehive: worker bees, drones, the font is that same blank blue, and the repeating hexagon reinforces the duplications. Also, they are now six as a gang, not five (as in the good companions or crossed hands) and there are blue smudges for blank injuries?

    10: the kings head: obviously Gary in the picture. No blue whatsoever- this is more about their Smokehouse meeting, Gary bashing his head, perhaps a nod to the excesses of Gary’s life with the reference to the opulence of that getup, and perhaps a nod to Gary’s life being in the toiled (or “head”)

    11. The hole in the wall: obviously the beast, but less obviously, the bricks are all blue. Gary’s need for his pint is instrumental in bringing down the (identical, repetitive) invasion. Blue smudges, blank violence, fire is implying explosions I think in this and the last ones, or just general destruction. Also hearkens back to Gary punching an actual hole in a wall, earlier. Also raises the question of whether the hand is reaching in or out. I think the group may also be four at this point, reinforced by the rectangles, but I’m a little hazy on the details. This is the most dominantly blue sign yet, but it is fading, crumbling, and burning,

    12: world’s end: pretty much what it says, except that you’ll note that the only blue is being completely engulfed in red flames, and destroyed.

    I love that these films always have a little extra to chew on!

  • Pariya

    It’s actually Simon Pegg’s face! 🙂

    • tippiviolet

      Pilkinpegg, ha!

  • Jay

    Quick add to my post: on the Cross Hands sign one of the hands is wearing a wedding ring. Andy is currently the only married member of the guys, right?

    • Emily Clark

      No, I know peter is married as well

      • Jay

        You’re right. In my sleep deprived stupor I was mixing up Peter and Steven, thinking Peter was divorced or something.

      • Perhaps there’s only one ring to show us that one of the gang is not very happily married. Or foreshadowing that one of the them will have his ring slurped off by a Blanked-up Sophie Evans? Or maybe these are the hands of the Blank X-Factor boy band that the G&tE fight? I didn’t think to look for jewelry on their fingers.

  • Jess Bowles

    The First Post-The beginning of the Golden Mile, the start of it all.

    The Old Familiar - Similar in appearance to the Post and where the old friends catch up, including Sam. Also, shows how Gary wants everything to stay the same. First reappearance of Basil.

    The Famous Cock-The only bar Gary is surprisingly banned from for well being kinda a dick.

    The Cross Hands- Everyone becomes cross with Gary until the attack in the bathroom where they all join hands in defeating the robots.They decide the best plan is to “pretend” they’re all good friends out for a drink. Appearance of notable robots as well including the marmalade sandwich and Peter’s bully.

    The Good Companions-The gang nobly follows Gary on his quest while trying to be nonchalant about the take over.

    The Trusty Servant-Gary trusts his old trusty companion, the reverend Green(ah, green! cleaver)who sold him drugs, to find out what’s really going on in the town. He reveals too much and the gang is on their way.

    The Two Headed Dog-The attack of the killer robot twins! Gary also tries to make a move on Sam which is kind of a dog move.

    The Mermaid- The marmalade sandwich acts as sirens to convert the boys. Sam’s old crush does the same which may have worked if he wasn’t dead.

    The Beehive-The boys old professor acts as queen bee to try and convert most of the gang. Most because O Man’s birthmark reappears. When they’re not swayed, the hive erupts into battle. The gang unintentionally hits that bee hive with a stick. There’s also parking for patrons, just use the drain pipe.

    The King’s Head- Gary can’t be convinced to give up his quest, so the remainder of the gang knock him out to carry him to the beast. The beast which is conveniently parked behind the King’s Head. Gary awakes before they reach the car and the quest goes straight to his head, Gary KING’S head. He downs a pint and goes on.

    The Hole in the Wall- Andy desperately tries to save Gary when he gets swarmed by robots. Steven comes to save them by crashing the beast through the wall, but to no avail.

    The World’s End- One final beer awaits Gary with Join Our Club signs. Andy stops him from drinking it and the alien plot is revealed. After some of the best drunken arguments ever written, the aliens do leave. But, not without ending the modern world as we know it.

  • Jay

    I’ve now seen the movie twice. I tried to pay a little more attention to things the 2nd time but there were so many layers. I’m not sure I have any kind of clue. But you asked, so here goes:

    1)First Post b/c of it was the 1st post office? Post off ice box and one of those really old school distance posts.

    2)Old Familiar: pretty much the exact same pub as the first, deja vu feeling?

    3)Famous Cock: have to do with Gary being banned? The photo wall of all the people that were banned for acting like cocks?

    4)Cross Hands: something about teamwork, maybe? How the guys had to band together to fight the blanks in the bathroom?

    5)Good Companions: no idea?

    6)Trusty Servant: the 3 humans that were serving the network?

    7)Two headed dog: the twins

    8)The Mermaid: mermaids having magical powers to get people to fall under their spell, like the marmalade sandwich did to the 3 guys?

    9)The Beehive: the swarm of blanks that tried to sting the guys?

    10)King’s Head: Looks like Gary King and he is king of humans?

    11)Hole In The Wall: that because Steven drove the Beast through the wall?

    12)World’s End: it’s where the world as we know it ended?

    I’m sure I’m way off and I look forward to hearing the explanations in the Blu-ray commentary. Loved the movie. Best movie of the summer in my opinion.

  • Jay

    I’ve now seen the movie twice. I tried to pay a little more attention to things the 2nd time but there were so many layers. I’m not sure I have any kind of clue. But you asked, so here goes:

    1)First Post b/c of it was the 1st post office? Post off ice box and one of those really old school distance posts.

    2)Old Familiar: pretty much the exact same pub as the first, deja vu feeling?

    3)Famous Cock: have to do with Gary being banned? The photo wall of all the people that were banned for acting like cocks?

    4)Cross Hands: something about teamwork, maybe? How the guys had to band together to fight the blanks in the bathroom?

    5)Good Companions: no idea? Gary and his friends?

    6)Trusty Servant: the 3 humans that were serving the network?

    7)Two headed dog: the twins ??

    8)The Mermaid: mermaids having magical powers to get people to fall under their spell, like the marmalade sandwich did to the 3 guys?

    9)The Beehive: the swarm of blanks that tried to “sting” the guys?

    10)King’s Head: Looks like Gary King and he is king of humans?

    11)Hole In The Wall: that because Steven drove the Beast through the wall?

    12)World’s End: it’s where the world as we know it ended?

    I’m sure I’m way off and I look forward to hearing the explanations in the Blu-ray commentary. Loved the movie. Best movie of the summer in my opinion.

    Most important question: how am I the only person to comment on this so far??

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  • This is a total cheat because I knew the answers:

    1. The First Post - first bar
    2. The Old Familiar - looks the same as first bar
    3. The Famous Cock - Gary is the famous cock, which is why he’s banned
    4. The Cross Hands - crossing hands with the Blanks
    5. The Good Companion - all five guys have their first drink together
    6. The Trusty Servant - they meet a guy who is fine with serving the Blanks
    7. The Two Headed Dog - meet with twins

    8. The Mermaid - dancing with two blondes and a redhead, just like the sign
    9. The Beehive - busy bar where things happen
    10. The Kings Head - King Gay
    11. The Hole in the Wall - The Beast makes a hole in the wall
    12. The World’s End - end of the world

    13. The Rising Sun - the new beginning

  • Pariya

    The First Post is simple, it’s the first pub.
    The Old Familiar is because it’s exactly like the first pub.
    The Famous Cock is where Gary got barred for being, well, a cock.
    The Cross Hands is where the group first got into a fight and “crossed hands”.
    The Good Companions is where everyone was distressed about the recent run-in with the “no-bots/faux-bots” etc. Everyone except Gary, who was still excited about the Golden Mile (this is shown by the 4 unhappy masks, and the one happy one).
    The Trusty Servant is where Oliver’s character is first taken over when he goes to the bathroom - returning as a “servant” to The Network.

    The Two Headed Dog is where Gary, Steven and Sam get in a fight with the twins, who are in this case, the “two-headed dog”.

    The Mermaid is the club where the Marmalade Sandwich girls act as sirens to seduce Gary, Andy and Peter and try to convert them over to The Network.
    The Beehive is where everything gets busy - everyone from the town comes to this pub and a massive brawl ensues with our 5 protagonists (now 4 after Andy smashes Oliver’s head in, after realizing he’s “one of them”).

    The King’s Head is where Gary King smashes his head against a post to prove that he’s real. (And the man’s face on the sign is actually Simon Pegg’s face)

    The Hole in the Wall is quite literally when Steven makes a hole in the wall by crashing through the pub with The Beast.

    The World’s End is the last stop before the pub, and the town, engulfs in flames and initiates the end of the world.

  • Victoria

    Okay. Here we go.

    1. The First Post - the first pub
    2. The Old Familiar - the pub looks exactly like the first one, “Starbucking,” as Steve called it. Or because they meet Sam and they’re back to old times?
    3. The Famous Cock - Gary gets kicked out because he was infamous for being a dick. (Very unsure about this one)
    4. The Cross Hands - first confrontation with the robots. A lot of hands… were being crossed… during the fight scene in the bathroom.
    5. The Good Companions - first pub after the Five Musketeers find out about the robots. They pretend all is well even after they find out Gary lied about his mum’s death.
    6. The Trusty Servant - Reverend Green is the trusty servant to the gang? He tries to help them. To the robots? He remains in the town and plays along.
    7. The Two Headed Dog - the twins.
    8. The Mermaid - the marmalade sandwich = sirens
    9. The Beehive - the robots attack in a swarm-like way
    10. The King’s Head - Gary goes completely bonkers and continues his pub crawl. The picture also looks exactly like him.
    11. The Hole in the Wall - Steve drives… a hole in the wall.
    12. The World’s End - the world ends.

  • Pete Haine

    The Mermaid - a reference to the tempting Marmalade sandwich, luring their victims? (Our local cinema, BTW, where I’ve seen the film twice. It’s odd, walking out of a film onto the film set in Letchworth)

  • Jesse A. Carp

    I got to see Simon Pegg explain it, which was rad. And I won’t spoil it since I know, just wanted to brag…