2017

NY0336 : Site of Maryport Brewery Limited - October 2017

taken 6 years ago, near to Maryport, Cumbria, England

Site of Maryport Brewery Limited - October 2017
Site of Maryport Brewery Limited - October 2017
First appearing on the 1866 OS Map (but probably much earlier), the Maryport Brewery grew to occupy a substantial site taking in all of Lower Church Street together with the eastern ends of John Street and Wood Street. Acquisition of its Carlisle pubs by the State Management Scheme in 1916 placed great financial strain on the brewery and Hansard (see: LinkExternal link (Archive LinkExternal link ) ) suggests the brewery made representations to the Government for inclusion in the Scheme. As a result, the Maryport Brewery together with its remaining pubs, stores and other buildings were purchased by the Scheme on 19 June 1917 for a total of £140,000. This effectively doubled Scheme assets overnight and appears to be the reason for the Scheme's expansion beyond Carlisle.

What happened next is still the subject of research, but the brewery is not mentioned by name on the 1925 OS Map. The site appears cleared on the 1961 OS Map, with a part on Lower Church Street developed as "The Palace Ballroom". The houses seen here on left appear on the 1970 OS Map, but "The Palace Ballroom" seems to have been demolished after 1970 and replaced with the modern offices seen in this view.
The State Managed Pubs & Breweries of Carlisle and District :: NY4459

To supply munitions for the Great War, a huge complex was constructed north of Carlisle. Starting in the autumn of 1915, some 10-12,000 “navvies” built a glycerine plant at Dornock between Eastriggs and Annan, while a distilled ether plant was erected between Mossband and Longtown. Eventually stretching some 7 miles long by 2 miles deep with 17 miles of perimeter fencing, at its peak it employed some 20,000 people – mainly women but with a considerable number of male construction workers.
Unfortunately, the influx of “navvies” gave rise to serious drunkenness problems in the City of Carlisle. While Carlisle had some 120 licensed premises in 1916, many were small, one-roomed affairs which simply could not cope with the crowds. Also, the local Constabulary were greatly pressed, with 953 convictions for drunkenness in 1916 (compared with 250 in 1914/15). In addition, there was concern a “tired and emotional” worker could accidentally reduce the area to a very large hole in the ground!
The Government’s answer was to “nationalise” all the pubs and breweries in Carlisle, a process begun in July 1916 and which quickly extended out to Longtown in the east and Maryport in the south-west. Pubs around Gretna and Eastriggs were also included. All were under the control of a local Board, based at 19 Castle Street, Carlisle (now a bookshop), which imposed strict opening hours, a maximum (and very low) alcoholic content for beer and spirits, and a ban on “treating” (buying a round for your mates).
Many old or inadequate pubs were quickly closed. But the scheme did not end with the cessation of hostilities on 11 November 1918, with the last pub – the White Swan in Wigton – only being acquired in January 1921. Indeed, Government control of these pubs and breweries continued until 1971, with return to private ownership not completed until 1973.
As the Scottish pubs soon moved to the control of a local Board, this Shared Description is intended to cover only the pubs and breweries purchased by the Scheme in what is now north-west Cumbria, or built in the years 1916-1971 – or what may now be found on the site (if anything). Many have closed – some have been demolished and some are under new developments or even roads! But there is one excellent book on the subject – “The Carlisle State Management Scheme” by the late Olive Seabury (Bookcase – 2007 – currently out of print), while “Carlisle Breweries and Public Houses 1894-1916” by Steven Davidson (P3 Publications – 2004 – also out of print) is a very useful starting point. Also, the web sites: “The State Management Story” LinkExternal link (not regularly updated) and Wikipedia at: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright The Carlisle Kid and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Housing, Dwellings
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Maryport Viewed [29] · June 2017 [15] · October 2017 [13] · Seen in This View [6] · Office Building [3] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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NY0336, 330 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
The Carlisle Kid   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 27 October, 2017   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 28 October, 2017
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 036 365 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:42.8822N 3:29.7916W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NY 037 365
View Direction
WEST (about 270 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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