Pub forced to rebrand after complaints over ‘offensive’ name

"It is a term that should be consigned to the history books"

Everyone knows a good name is all part of what makes a great boozer and the catchier the better when it comes to establishing a regular watering hole.

However, for one pub in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, its name has sparked plenty of controversy after it was deemed derogatory, forcing a rebrand.

The pub was dubbed The Midget, deriving its name from the title given to the MG car that was built at the company's former factory in the town.

First opened in 1974, the pub has had the word midget in its name for half a century, long outliving the factory it was named after which closed in 1980.

Originally the pub was named The Magic Midget, after a former land speed world record car produced by MG, but dropped the word Magic in 2002.

However, the word midget has a more common association as a derogatory and insulting way of referring to people with dwarfism.

And, there was plenty of support for the name change with 1,000 people signing a petition to leave The Midget in the past.

This led to the pub's owners, Greene King, acquiescing into changing the name to The Roaring Raindrop.

To appease any sceptics, plenty of thought went into the new name which pays homage to the last ever record-breaking car to by manufactured in Abingdon by MG.

The petition was started by senior lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University, Dr Erin Pritchard.

According to the BBC, the lecturer said: "I have dwarfism and like the majority of people with dwarfism find the word offensive.

"I doubt anyone would tolerate a pub with a name containing an equally derogatory slur against another group of disabled people or an ethnic minority."

Managing director of Greene King pubs, Zoe Bowley, acknowledged that the pub chain had thought "long and hard" about the name change.

"We hope that making the change in this way helps to preserve our pub’s historic links to Abingdon’s past while simultaneously ensuring our pub can be a place where everyone feels welcome," she said.

Dr Pritchard said it was "good to see" the brewery was "open to addressing concerns about disablist hate speech".

"It is a term that should be consigned to the history books," she added.

However, the road the pub sits on is still known as Midget Close.