[Drinking] The Lost Pubs Project

[AmexRuislip]

Have been reading an interesting article on my online local rag, about the decline of pubs in the local area.
As a lover of beer, it struck me how many local pubs are disappearing.
Thought you alcoholic connoisseurs might be interested

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/lost-pubs-hounslow-how-many-10883242


http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/index.html

 

[Eeyore]

Look at a map from 100 years ago. Brighton was the mecca of pubs.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Look at a map from 100 years ago. Brighton was the mecca of pubs.

True enough, but even today it isn't too badly off for pubs! I think it's the rural areas of Sussex that are being particularly badly hit, as many villages probably only had one or two pubs anyway.

Certainly in my village we lost the Coach House a few years ago, which is now a Co Op supermarket, just leaving the Hare and Hounds as our only local pub. Neighbouring Henfield has lost a couple in recent times too.

In fact, in Mannings Heath a few miles up the road, their one and only local pub, the Dun Horse is now closed and up for sale. One wonders if that will remain a pub, or go the way of the Coach House and become a local shop, or be converted into private dwellings.

 

[Murray 17]

As soon as successive governments raised the tax rates so much, pubs' days were numbered. It's a shame as they are quintessentially English.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I'm surprise Brightons 'Free Butts' and 'Helmet' closed . . . .

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

My uncle ran one of the now defunct Brighton pubs in the 50s and early 60s: the Lewes Road Inn. It stank of beer. As a five year old in 1963, I absolutely loved it

 

[drew]

I know a lot of villages have lost pubs but in the towns, whilst pubs have gone, they have been replaced by quite a few bars. Does anyone take these into account when calculating the net loss (or gain) in drinking establishments?

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Here's a list of pubs in Brighton in 1859 I posted here a few months ago:
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?328196-Historic-Brighton-Pubs

I'm currently trying to find as many old pubs as I can within the old parish boundary of Brighton and have currently found around 600 dating from the 1820s onwards. From the 1830s onwards there were two types; the inns and public houses licensed to sell beer and spirits and the beer houses which were limited to beer but could be set up by anybody in their front room for a small fee. Numerically, Brighton pubs reached a peak in the late 19th century and then began to scale back; losing out to the growth of cinemas, the First World War licensing laws, and particularly from the 1920s onwards the huge scale slum clearances. Another factor was the contraction in the number of breweries, initially small scale in the 1850s and 60s, these were eventually purchased or amalgamated with what became the main two; the Kemp Town Brewery and the Phoenix Brewery. Smaller pubs and brewery taps were often closed after purchasing. A similar thing occured when the main two were themselves swallowed up by the main national breweries, Charrington and Watney respectively, in the 1950s, with more smaller pubs closing particularly in the 1960s and 70s.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

My uncle ran one of the now defunct Brighton pubs in the 50s and early 60s: the Lewes Road Inn. It stank of beer. As a five year old in 1963, I absolutely loved it

View attachment 72353

Lewes Road Inn is now the Franklin tavern. The closed pubs sites are not the most accurate.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Unbelievable, Petworth, my local town, now has 3 pubs. It has lost 21 pubs over the years. They used to like their drink back in the day.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Lewes Road Inn is now the Franklin tavern. The closed pubs sites are not the most accurate.

Thanks. I will pay it a visit sometime.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Here's a list of pubs in Brighton in 1859 I posted here a few months ago:
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?328196-Historic-Brighton-Pubs

I'm currently trying to find as many old pubs as I can within the old parish boundary of Brighton and have currently found around 600 dating from the 1820s onwards. From the 1830s onwards there were two types; the inns and public houses licensed to sell beer and spirits and the beer houses which were limited to beer but could be set up by anybody in their front room for a small fee. Numerically, Brighton pubs reached a peak in the late 19th century and then began to scale back; losing out to the growth of cinemas, the First World War licensing laws, and particularly from the 1920s onwards the huge scale slum clearances. Another factor was the contraction in the number of breweries, initially small scale in the 1850s and 60s, these were eventually purchased or amalgamated with what became the main two; the Kemp Town Brewery and the Phoenix Brewery. Smaller pubs and brewery taps were often closed after purchasing. A similar thing occured when the main two were themselves swallowed up by the main national breweries, Charrington and Watney respectively, in the 1950s, with more smaller pubs closing particularly in the 1960s and 70s.

Here's a question for you. I know Phoenix Breweries sponsored the Albion for a while in the 1980's. when exactly did they close? and where was the brewery?

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Here's a question for you. I know Phoenix Breweries sponsored the Albion for a while in the 1980's. when exactly did they close? and where was the brewery?

Closed around 1990, Free Butt was its former brewery tap, brewery located near The Level, behind the houses in Lewes Road and bounded by Southover Street to the north and Newhaven Street to the east. Now a mixture of housing and student residences.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/sussex/brighton.html

From my own town, Horsham, we've lost more than our fair share over the last twenty to thirty years too

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

http://www.closedpubs.co.uk/sussex/brighton.html

From my own town, Horsham, we've lost more than our fair share over the last twenty to thirty years too

Yes indeed you have, but I think this trend is pretty much country wide.

 

[BensGrandad]

The killer for pubs was not the government as many suggest but the advent of the pub co Inntrepeneur, Punch Taverns etc in the late 80s early 90s,. Until then brewers realized that there was a lot of wasted floor space in a pub and also sold their beer so made the rent realistic. The pub companies took the floor space and based their rents on that with complete disregard for trading conditions and that was the start of the down turn in pubs and the basic cause of closure.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The death of pubs was 'drinking at home'. When I grew up, my parents had some wine in at Christmas, and that was it. When I moved to Faversham 27 years ago, I went to the pub ('The Albion' ) every Friday Sat and Sunday evening, and regularly on Thursday (darts team) to drink beer, smoke fags, and talk bollocks. There was no live footy on the box, and wine was middle class. Now I have a wine lake, talk bollocks on NSC whistle and go to the pub once every 2 years, if they're lucky. Times change.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

Thanks. I will pay it a visit sometime.

[MENTION=26444]Wrong Direction[/MENTION] lives opposite.
According to my Dad he was in St Lukes School air raid shelter when the pub was hit

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

[MENTION=26444]Wrong Direction[/MENTION] lives opposite.
According to my Dad he was in St Lukes School air raid shelter when the pub was hit

Yikes! My uncle took it on after it was rebuilt. Hard to imagine Brighton and Hove being bombed by Germans, but it was. . . . .

 

[Pondicherry]

Two due to reopen in Horsham at the moment. The Anchor Tap and the Frog and Nightgown.