If you’re planning a trip to the UK and you’re a fancier of the drink, as they say, you’ll no doubt want to incorporate a visit to at least one or two of the local pubs in the city or cities you will staying in.

No where else will you find yourself more closely connected to the local comings and goings of a town or village than in the pub. But be warned: There are some pubs that are so old and so intricately linked to the private lives of the area’s residents, that tourists can often expect to receive a less than friendly welcome at the door, even in some establishment’s custom pub signs happen to say “Welcome To All Yee Who Enter Here.”

Speaking of those signs, what do their various symbols and names all mean anyway? Well, they are actually the brain child of King Richard II

It is also widely believed that many of the inhabitants of Great Britain during the time of King Richard II would have been unable to read, so pictures were used instead to help a patron identify the location and that the name of the pub actually came later, based on the sign’s picture.

In addition to the classic wooden or metal signs you in front of most pubs today, you might also see that some may have wood propellers, large brass bells, or other interesting symbols or artifacts hanging outside their doorways. In many cases, the brass bells are original ornaments that were hung on the pub when it served as both a bar and what we might consider the American equivalent of the motel.

Weary travelers would ring the bell in the middle of the night to wake the innkeeper from sleep in order to book lodging and have a meal. As for the other items, they are often tied to some piece of personal history tied to the owner, or the owners of the pub that came prior.