The village pump where gossip, rumour and scandal were exchanged, and also created, after all why let the truth stand in the way of good story. This one stands in a Norfolk village as a monument and a memorial to the old days.
Nowadays I suppose the pub, the village shop and the Post Office work just as well as a centre of gossip and intelligence and they would seem to be the modern version of the village pump.
Mind you, just how many villages have been left with a Post Office?