Pints Of View Spring 2017 The Crossways wins Top Pub again. Free: please read here or take away CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE 230 Hatfield Road,St Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW Telephone: 01727 867201. www.camra.org.uk Forthcoming Events Branch Meetings: 13th March: White Horse, Bradford-on-Tone TA4 1HF 10th April: New Inn, Wedmore, BS28 4DU 8th May: Muddled Man, West Chinnock, TA18 7PT 12th June: AGM: Wyvern Club, Taunton, TA1 3BJ WEBSITE:- www.somerset.camra.org.uk Branch Chairman Mick Cleveland: [email protected] Branch Contact & Secretary: Katie Redgate 01823 279962. [email protected] Vice Chairman: Kevin Woodley 01823 431872 Social Secretary & Whats Brewing Contact: position vacant Branch Treasurer: Lyn Heapy [email protected] Membership Secretary: Stephen Walker 01823 413988 Discounts, Loc-Ale and Real Cider Promotion & Apple/Perry Officer: Steve Hawkins [email protected] Public Transport: Phil Emond [email protected] Pub Protection Officer: Barrie Childs 01823 323642 Pubs Officer & What Pub: Andy Jones [email protected] Branch Website; colin.heapy@ yahoo.com Newsletter: Paul Davey [email protected]. 01935 329975 Pints of View Somerset Pints of View is published by the Somerset Branch of the Campaign For Real Ale Ltd. (CAMRA) The views expressed therein are not, necessarily, those of either the Campaign or the Editor. Contributions/Letters are always welcome. Advertising Advertising Rates: Full Page £90; Half Page £55; Quarter Page £25. Repeat advertisements are reduced by 10%. For more information contact Paul Davey by e mail or telephone as above. Copy should be JPG or PDF. Advertisement updates are the responsibility of the advertiser 2 Pints Of View Somerset Pints of view is published in February, May, August and November. Pints Of View has a print run of 3,000 and is distributed to some 160 pubs and clubs around Somerset plus a few outside our borders. The final copy date for the next edition is Thursday April 20th 2017 Printed by Character Graphics 56-58 Station Road, TAUNTON TA1 1NS What’s Inside Page 4 Locale Pubs Page 21 2017 Pub Trail Page 6 The Vanishing Local Page 22 King William IV Page 8 Racing to Cheltenham Page 24 Chairman Mick Page 11 Coleridge Pub Crawl Page 27 Musings from the Bar Page 15 ‘Farmers’ Fire Page 29 Pub/Brewery News Page 17 Public Transport Page 31 Exeter Ales Page 17 Book Review 3 4 5 The Vanishing Local On retirement, with time supposedly at hand, I took the opportunity of going on a twenty week, two hour evening writing course; with the notion of recording past events in my fifty years in the hospitality industry. Whilst the course was informative, on reflection, it did not for-fill my expectations. Undeterred I began to put my experiences and information I had on paper about the Pub and Hotel industry with a view of giving a talk on this vast subject. Over the past four or so years with an hour here and four hours there I put in place six chapters following the evolution of ‘The History of the English Pub’ over the decades. At the beginning of June I was given my first opportunity to present this talk to a local Probus Club. With the help of a digital projector and 150 images of yester-year, statistics and todays pubs - I presented my talk. As the subject is so vast, with many intricacies, I was not able to present my prepared talk in the time allowed. What I did find from the audience was - the interest in the establishments they could identify with from years past. This brings me onto the publication I presented for our local CAMRA Group, last year, which out-lined its formation; that began forty years ago. I included in the Booklet the names of 97 pubs and inns that at one time or another existed, between 1840 and the end of 20th century, in Taunton. There were some omissions pointed out to me after publication. So I have further researched the omissions; using the records at the Heritage Centre and other information I have on hand. - I now have 160 pub and inn names listed; that were within a proximate one mile radius of Taunton town centre over this time. Many of these were no more than the front room of a terrace home where the house-holder took advantage of the 1830 ‘Beer House Act’ which allowed a ‘free-holder, tenant and person of good character to Brew and Purvey for profit – Beer, Cider and Perry - on payment to the magistrate office - two guineas.’ A good example was my own pub; the Masons Arms in Magdalene Street. It was granted a license in 1830 and the bar, itself, was the front room only; the counter situated in the corner with only beer and cider available. Should there be more than 10 to 15 people, at any one time, in the room; there was a crowd and little room to move. This was the situation with the vast majority of similar establishments throughout the country; using the Beer House Act as a means of making a living. There are very few samples of - ‘front room one bar pubs’ left. Today, in Taunton, the Somerset Inn, Alfred Street, is probably as close as you will get to 6 this image. The closure of these drinking parlours has as much to do with the affluence of our society that began to seeking food and other entertainment in the pubs rather than skittles and darts. The skill of the publican was diminished; at the same time in the 1950’s the introduction of ‘fizzy keg beer’ heavily promoted by the ‘Big Six’. this crystal-clear, trouble free, long-life, easy to keep beer did not need the same skills, to look after, as the traditional beer that went before. In turn our beer drinking fraternity began to expect this well presented beer; he would travel many miles to a pub that had just installed - ‘Red Barrel, Double Diamond, Whitbread Tankard’ or one of the other keg beers that were hitting the market at this time. And there was nothing wrong with it! As we are aware in 1971 the embryo of CAMRA was born; this was a direct result of the concern of the possibility of losing ‘traditionally served beer from casks’. CAMRA have now, in 2016, gone on to do their best to preserve our ‘Traditional Pubs’. If I give a few statistics: the number of pubs in England and Wales peeked in 1894 to 103,341. In 1955 the number of ‘Full On Licenses’ was 79,669 but there were also 22,355 ‘Licensed Registered Clubs. (102,024) By 1971, CAMRA’s inaugural year, there were: 73,116 (FoL’s) 28,856 (LRC’s) but there were also 11,884 Restricted On Licenses (113,856) an increase of 10,515 available drinking establishments since 1955. The British Beer & Pub Association informed me that in 2014 there were 51,500 pubs in the United Kingdom; this figure does not include Clubs or Restricted On Licenses: therefore the loss of 21,616 licensed pubs in 43 years.. With the ever changing requirements and needs of our modern day pub user it is inevitable the pub image changes. This is non-more-so than with the traitorous help of Lord David Ivor Young (Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) when he introduced the ‘Beer Order Act’ in 1989 - with notable input from CAMRA in helping Lord Young break up the monopoly of the ‘Big Six’; which has in-turn contributed to the loss of the 21,616 pubs. This single act was a major disruption for the ‘British Pub’ which forced the hands of the brewers to hive-off thousands of their properties so creating an even worse conglomerate now called ‘The Pub Co’s’ - who are no more than property companies. It is true to say the Pub Industry is in turmoil – it is evolving and moving on – there are successful pubs in city centres, urban areas and rural; they will not die; they will move with the times there will be the successes and the failures evolvement and development will continue. Jeremy Leyton 7 Year:- the 'Sanford Park Alehouse'. There are 9 ales on the hand pumps and a further 14 Craft Ales on the back bar. We try, from the pumps, a Brass Castle session and a Golden Fleece IPA. We then walk down London Road, over at the lights and after another 750 yards turn left down a narrow passage which brings us to the 'Cheltenham Motor Club' voted CAMRA's Club of the Year in 2013. There are 8 beers on tap and we try Stroud Tom Long Bitter and Cannon Royal Summer Stunner. While quaffing the ale we chat to some of the locals who tell us that we must try the 'Kemble Tavern'. They also say that it is not easy to find but give us good instructions which lead us to Fairview Street and the Watchet Races to Cheltenham Its a cold and breezy morning when we set out on our 72nd Beer Tour from the Star Inn, Watchet. After picking up friends in Bishops Lydeard its on to Taunton where we collect by some CAMRA members and there are 45 of us as we settle down for the drive up the M5. Just gone noon we pull in at the Cheltenham Bus Station for the drop off. Five of us start in the 'Old Restoration' in the high street, reputedly the oldest pub in Cheltenham.