The 1920s were a period of cautious confidence characterised by substantial financial investment in new or modernised properties funded in part by the sale of outdated or unlicensed premises. The following decade produced an enforced change of attitude as the very survival of the company became increasingly dependant upon bank loans secured by mortgaging its most valuable properties, and the frequent sale of tranches of its licensed and unlicensed premises. The sale of old public houses and unlicensed properties in order to subsidise the building of new premises and improvement of existing ones commenced about the mid 1920s. In December 1924 the board decided to sell the Lord Nelson Inn, Methley, by auction and the lodging house in Back lane, Knottingley, formerly the Royal Oak Inn, for the best obtainable price. Similarly, the lodging house in Ferrybridge Square and an adjoining cottage, together with five other adjacent cottages, two of which were formerly the Willow Tree Inn, were also marked for sale. (1)

Acquisitions continued to outpace sales until 1926. On 22nd July that year a number of properties were offered at an evening auction held at the railway Hotel, Knottingley. The sale featured four cottages at Ferrybridge, three of which, mentioned above, were previously unsold. On this occasion the cottages found a buyer, Mr G Barker of Knottingley who paid £180 for them. The Queen's Arms, Haddlesey, was sold to a Mr Brunyard for £245 and Charles House, formerly the Bee Hive Inn, Knottingley, and surrounding land was sold to Mr T. West, becoming a cooperage. The Junction Inn, Heck, was also offered but failed to find a purchaser, being sold later to a Mr May for £330. In addition, an unlicensed property at Upton was independently sold to a Mr Ford for £1,050. A freehold dwelling house and lock up shop at Doncaster Road, Ferrybridge, probably obtained originally as an off licence outlet, was sold for an undisclosed sum to a Mr G.W. Hartley. (2)

The successful disposal of the above properties resulted in the compilation of a list of surplus premises and land. The list dated December 1926 contains details of estimated sale prices and book valuations (i.e. prices obtained).

The fully licensed premises and accompanying 36 acres of land was in respect of the Plough Inn, Kellington, the tenant of which had combined being a publican with agriculture since before the inn was acquired by G.W. Carter the previous century. The premises at Finkle Street, Pontefract, were used as an off licence shop. Quite why this was sold is uncertain as the company was busy extending its portfolio of such premises at that time. Presumably, it was uneconomical, being close to the Carter owned Rose & Crown Inn. The listed properties were auctioned at the Turk's Head Inn, Pontefract, on the 29th January 1927. The Finkle Street property was purchased on behalf of Mrs J. Deacon for £635 while the Prospect Inn, Altofts, was sold for £550 plus £30 in respect of the valuation to a Mr Brown on behalf of Mr F. Ford. The Lord Nelson Inn, Methley, having been available for purchase from late 1924, again failed to find a bidder but was sold with its adjacent cottages for £750 in July 1927. (3)

The proceeds from the sale were placed in the Debenture Trustees' Account which had been established when the company was first formed to provide a financial guarantee for investors in fixed interest debenture share loans, certain tied houses providing a form of mortgage security. The proposed sale of company properties was not always a straightforward action. Some tenant leases were not transferable while the sanction of the two Debenture Trustees was required in the event of proposed changes to the list of the deeds guaranteeing debenture shares. (4) To simplify the procedure for obtaining mortgaged loans the directors naturally sought to use deeds outside those set aside for debenture security. To this end in August 1925 Messrs Barker & Jowett of Pontefract were engaged to undertake valuation of the Rawcliffe Bridge and Moorthorpe hotels with a view to the deeds of these properties being used in order to secure a loan from the Midland Bank, Sheffield, the respective valuations being £15,000 and £4,500. (5)

Increasing use was made of this method of subsidising the company's building and refurbishment policy and by June 1928 the following deeds were already deposited with the Bank.

Rose & Crown, South Kirkby
Black Boy, Pontefract
Providence Inn, Barnsley
Airedale Hotel, Glasshoughton, Castleford
Northfield Hotel, South Kirkby
Willow Park Hotel, Baghill, Pontefract (6)

A further list of redundant properties was drawn up in 1930, the board leaving Sides to undertake the sale, privately or otherwise as he considered most beneficial to the company. (7) Amongst the listed premises, subsequently sold were the Royal Hotel, Batley, the Yorkshire Hussar, York, and the Star Inn, Lofthouse Gate, all forming part of the debenture portfolio and replaced by the

Crayke Arms, Rawcliffe
Crown, Darrington
Red Lion, Askern
Chequers, Monk Fryston
Blue Bell, Monk Fryston
Punch Bowl, Brotherton
Bell & Crown, Snaith
Off licence shop, Featherstone (8)

A list dated April 1931 contains the names of seven licensed premises designated as Debenture Trust holdings but lodged with the Midland Bank, Sheffield, as security to the value of £30,000 (9) It is of passing interest to note that in July 1924 when the debenture holders met to appoint a new Trustee to replace the recently deceased Colin Mackenzie Smith, the debenture holdings were valued at £80,000. (10) In February 1926, however, the Trustees gave approval to the transfer of £30,000 of the Company's debenture stock to the representatives of the Midland Bank as security for the Company's indebtedness in the form of a collateral agreement. (11)

Despite the intensive mortgaging of its property the company retained numerous licensed and unlicensed premises, off licence shops and parcels of land. (12) Furthermore, a number of older premises contained valuable fixtures and fittings which were readily plundered as the company became increasingly cash strapped.

In November 1929 part of the White Swan Inn, Knottingley, known colloquially as Sculpture House from the antique carved stone fireplace within the confines of the former manor house, was stripped of fireplace and panelling and a second valuable if less imposing fireplace. (13) The items were to be offered for £250 to Lord Irwin whose family were formerly the lords of the manor and who had built manor house in the early seventeenth century. Irwin was to replace the fireplace by a modern range and make good any damage. Alternatively, his lordship could pay £325 for the fireplace alone, the Company to replace it and patch up. Failing interest by the Noble Lord the items were to be offered to Mr Antribus or Mr Farr, local antique dealers for £600, they to undertake the necessary repair of the site. In the event of no sale being made an advertisement was to be placed in 'The Conniseur' (sic) In the event it was subsequently reported by Sides that the objects had been sold to a Mr Greenwood, a dealer at Harrogate, thus completing the sacrifice of the township's heritage to Mammon. (14)

The Old Hall Inn, Great Houghton, was the next to be plundered. In October 1931 the Dearne Valley Coaling Co. sought permission to drive a return air shaft under the inn. Permission was denied by the brewery company as the inn was already sinking due to subsidence caused by undermining. Undaunted, the mining company made a second approach a year later, coupling its request with the offer of £40 to the brewery company in lieu of coal to be extracted from beneath the inn. Reflecting on the offer the board revealed its venality, or financial desperation by stating it would accept £150 for the coal. (15)

Meanwhile, despite the problems, real and potential concerning the inn, the company had decided to refurbish the property and in November 1932 had submitted plans which were approved, to the Superintendent of Police, Barnsley. (16) The situation was exacerbated by the West Riding Traction Co., who in January 1933 commenced roadworks in front of the inn in order to construct a terminus, thereby increasing the degree of vibration affecting the structure by the increased volume of traffic. The response of the directors was to contact the bus company and suggest that it might like to subsidise the refurbishment of the inn. (17)

As the result of the refurbishment, an approach was made to Mr Greenwood who offered £75 for the chimney piece, panelling and doors, a sum regarded as inadequate and prompting the company to seek alternative offers. An offer in a trade paper drew no response and F.S. Scott-Smith offered to approach Ford & Sons, Newark, who offered £95 leaving the company to place the disposal of the effects in abeyance pro tem. (18)

Scott-Smith's involvement occurred at the high point of his relations with the Company, drawing an assurance of support from Sides and his fellow directors for Scott-Smith's election to the board at the next A.G.M. By the following year the Smiths' relationship with the Sides' faction had soured and the disposal of the Old Hall Inn artefacts was left in permanent limbo. Thereafter, a boardroom dispute and impending legal action appears to have fully overtaken matters concerning the Old Hall Inn. (19)

The problem of mining subsidence was also a consideration with regard to structural damage at the Milnes Arms, Fryston. In 1929 damage to the inner walls was reported, prompting a survey by Mr W.H. Fearnley of Featherstone, who concluded that there was no likelihood of further problems arising. (20) However, recurrence of the problem in 1932 led the company to suspect mining subsidence and a meeting was arranged with the Fryston Colliery Co., manager, Mr Fisher, to discuss the matter. Fisher refuted liability and suggested somewhat implausibly, that the movement of sand on the bed of the nearby River Aire was the cause of the problem. The company next approached the West Riding Rivers Board which suggested that the company take up the matter with the River Ouse Catchment Board. (21) The outcome of the run-around is unrecorded but it does appear that the initial instinct of the company to blame the Fryston Colliery Co. was a logical one.

By comparison, the application of Hemsworth Rural Council in November 1933, to take a sewer through the grounds of the Rose & Crown Inn, South Kirkby, was a minor matter and permission was given on condition that any damage was made good and subject to the payment of a way-lease. (22)

The sale of company properties continued throughout the early 1930s with money obtained from sales utilised for feats of financial sleight of hand such as the transfer of funds from one account to another in an effort to rationalise the system of accountancy or as a cosmetic exercise for public presentation. In July 1931 the funds in the Property Account were transferred to the Loan Account. It was disapproval by an element of the directorship of such financial manoeuvrings which occasioned a breach with disastrous results for the company. Juggling the finances could only camouflage the fiscal crisis and did not obviate the necessity to mortgage properties to facilitate loans as illustrated by the fact that simultaneous to the transfer of account funds Sides was authorised to deposit the deeds of the Westfield Hotel, South Elmsall, with the Midland Bank. (23)

Having disposed of all unwanted licensed premises the board turned its attention to the disposal of unlicensed properties and parcels of land. In January 1932 a discussion took place concerning such items and consideration of terms of tenancy which were relevant to disposal. (24)

The scramble for licensed premises, particularly in the Carter era meant that the purchases had of necessity often included the acquisition of adjoining cottages and land, thus providing the company with a reserve of disposable stock at the time of its financial crisis.

The Providence Inn, Barnsley, was sold to Joshua Tetley Ltd in September 1930 and the former Greyhound Inn and cottages at Knottingley were sold to Mr Rhodes, a joiner occupying the adjacent site, in May 1932 for the sum of £475. (25) It is interesting to note that the reach of the Company could outstretch its grasp as shown with regard to the offer of £150 for a cottage in Cherry Tree Yard, Knottingley, which was withdrawn when the company sought an increase to £200. (26) Eight cottages in the yard of the Sun Inn, North Featherstone, were placed for sale at £1,200 with Mr A Beedel, a Castleford estate agent early in 1933 and sold to a Mr Townend of Townville for £830 in August. (27) Similarly, cottages adjacent to the Cross Keys Inn, Hillam, were sold to Mr Holder of Wakefield in October 1933 for £420. (28) Amongst miscellaneous properties owned by the company was the former Cross Swords Inn, Salter Row, Pontefract, which following de-licensing had been converted into two shops which were let to the West Riding County Council in June 1932. (29) Two villas situated between the entrance to Brewery Lane and the Bowling Club (later the site of the Conservative Club which still occupies the land), together with orchard gardens were also disposed of. The houses, built in 1882 for occupation by the company secretary and the head brewer, had eventually been sold but were subsequently repurchased from their respective owners, Mrs Lawson and Mrs Roberts, in December 1924. (30) The reason for the sale and eventual repurchase is not recorded but in the case of 'Home Lea' we see an example of the way a tenancy agreement could prevent or delay sale of the premises. The house and garden had been let to Mrs E.E. Bell in 1930 under the terms of an agreement which gave her an exclusive lifetime tenancy at a peppercorn rent. (31)

During the proprietorship of G.W. Carter investment had been made in property development in areas of rapid urbanisation such as Sheffield and Bradford. Whilst most were private speculations a few had devolved upon the new company and these received consideration by the board in March 1933. Following discussion it was decided to approach the Bradford Trust requesting that an offer be made by that organisation for the entire stock. The Trust agreed to view the properties and respond. Thereafter the record is silent but one may presume that the buildings were sold. (32)

A calendar of disposable properties drawn up in January 1934 contains several premises which had previously been offered for sale and were now reofferred at reduced prices. (33) In addition, several parcels of land, each adjoining licensed premises and originally purchased to facilitate extension of such premises, were offered for sale. An acre of land at the Minsthorpe Hotel was offered to Hemsworth Rural Council for £100 and four acres at the Westfield Hotel, South Kirkby, was offered at 1 shilling per square yard to South Elmsall Council and was about to be sold to them in September 1934 for 10d per square yard when a better offer was received. (34) Simultaneously, land fronting the Greenfield Hotel, Upton, was sold to Upton Colliery to facilitate road widening. (35) Additional sales of land at Baghill, Pontefract, were made. A parcel adjoining Baghill Lane and Schoolboards Lane was sold for £87-10-0 in March 1935 and in November land adjoining the Willow Park Hotel was offered at 5 shillings per square yard to Messrs Pennington, Hustler and Taylor architects, but was obtained for 3s 6d. Betweentimes, in May, 1000 square yards of land on the same site had been bought by the Vicar of All Saints' Church, Pontefract, as a recreation ground, the Church meeting the expense of resetting the boundary fence. (36)

Lime Grove was also considered for disposal. Part residential and part administrative centre, the house had come close to being destroyed when a fire had broken out in Sides' office during one night in December 1927. (37) Following an inspection of the building, the directors deferred the decision to sell Lime Grove and the house continued to be used in a duel capacity for almost four decades. (38)

A decision was also taken in July 1934 to refer the licences of the Willow Tree, Ferrybridge, and the Anchor Inn, Brotherton, to the Compensation Authority. Both proved to be sources of

"substantial profit to the Company"

which obtained the respective sums of £1,451 and £979, plus their sale value as unlicensed properties. (39)

Despite its financial plight some expenditure was made on Company houses. In September 1934 a decision was taken to install electric light in the Northfield Hotel, South Kirkby, possibly to enhance its marketable value as much as public convenience. (40)

Financial stringency was also a feature which increasingly beset the lives of the Company's tenants as the economic crisis of the early 1930s deepened. A board meeting held on the 8th May 1931 discussed

"the continual difficulty of letting houses to suitable tenants." (41)

The problem was a perennial one which had increasingly exercised the minds of the brewery proprietors from the last quarter of the previous century as the temperance movement began to wield an effect on moral and social attitudes of local society. By the time of the above discussion, which was aired again some four months later, (42) the problem had evolved from consideration of finding publicans of suitable moral quality to finding publicans at all. Basically, the problem was an economic one for few potential tenants had the wherewithal to pay the customary valuation fee which was an adjunct of tenancy. (43) Those who did have the means were able to drive a hard bargain with the company as shown by reference to the letting of the Westfield Hotel, South Elmsall, in 1932. As the result of protracted negotiations with Sides, a prospective tenant obtained concessions enabling him to live rent free for the first three years with free licence and rates for six months. Also, in the event of takings not averaging £50 per week, the latter concession was to be extended to two years. (44) The deal was a gamble on the part of Sides for despite the fact that the Westfield Hotel was one of the company's 'improved' houses, there was no guarantee of prosperity given the prevailing economic conditions.

A letter to Sides from the tenant of the Minsthorpe Hotel illustrates the point. The modern hotel opened in February 1932 and the tenancy changed in December 1933. Within a few weeks the new tenant wrote to Sides complaining of his inability to compete with counter attractions, particularly workingmens' clubs with their artists and weekend entertainments. The company decided to allow the tenant 10 shillings per week for a period of six months to assist in the engagement of similar attractions. (45) There is no record of the degree of success or otherwise on the part of the publican but it is a matter of record that circumstances forced several into insolvency. The tenants of the Westfield Hotel, South Elmsall, the Plough, Kellington, and the Railway Hotel, Pontefract, all filed for bankruptcy between 1931- 34 while the tenant of the Railway Hotel, Knottingley, in spite of receiving concessions from the brewery, threatened to quit in September 1935. (46) It was awareness of potential insolvency which had led to the difficulty of finding a suitable replacement at the Westfield Hotel. In the case of the Plough Inn, the company deducted money owed by the bankrupted tenant out of his lease deposit, illustrating the essential nature of entry fees. (47) Insolvency through lack of trade was a particular feature of rural tenancies where sparse, lowly paid agricultural populations were the staple customers and the ancillary trade was not yet boosted by passing motorists to any great extent. Indeed, the Plough Inn, Kellington, had witnessed another case of tenant bankruptcy in the recent past for in July 1929 the company had purchased from the Official Receiver the farm implements used by tenants to cultivate the agricultural land forming part of the tenant holding and providing a necessary supplement to the livelihood of the tenant. (48)

In the context of the depressed economy rural inns became increasingly regarded as being surplus to requirement by the Company, hence the referral of licences to the Compensation Authorities, and the sale of premises. A typical example is seen in 1934 when the directors resolved to offer the Plough Inn to John Smith & Co., the Tadcaster brewers and failing to interest them in the offer, to effect a private sale if possible. (49)

An unusual example of a tenant attempting to obtain a better deal for himself than that afforded by the company occurred in November 1928 when Thomas Tate, licensee of the Rose & Crown, South Kirkby, was reported to be endeavouring the transfer of his lease to the rival brewery of Sam Smith & Co., Tadcaster. Claiming his entitlement via a legal declaration and seemingly but passively encouraged by the Tadcaster company, resulted in Tate's eviction from the inn following the issue of a writ by the Knottingley Brewery Co., and his replacement by one Thomas Brain. The legal process continued, however, and in 1933 the late tenant and Sam Smith & Co. took legal action to recover £150 paid as valuation on the lease, plus £21-18-0 paid on the licence.(50) The Knottingley firm desired to defend the action but involved as it was in a protracted legal struggle between the directors for control of the company, suggested the appointment of an umpire. The suggestion being rejected by the claimants, an offer of £50 was made through the plaintiffs' solicitors which resulted in the settlement of the case. (51)

Initiative of a different kind was shown by the tenant of the Greenfield Hotel, Upton, who, faced with a company decision to sell land adjoining the premises, wrote to Sides and secured a reprieve on the grounds that the land might shortly be utilised for

"electric hare racing."

It would be interesting to know if the desire of the publican to boost trade by the introduction of greyhound racing struck a sympathetic chord with Sides who as the tenant of the Featherstone Hotel some two decades earlier had made use of land adjoining the inn to promote athletics and other outdoor pursuits to boost trade. (52) The utilisation of electricity for the above scheme and the aforementioned conversion of the Northfield Hotel, South Kirkby, provides an insight into the social development of the period not only in the application of electricity as a source of power and light but also by comparison of those with money to invest in public entertainments and amusements such as greyhound racing, amusement arcades and radios with those of the turn of the century generation who used cinemas and ice rinks as sources of investment.

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NOTES:Chapter 9
1. WYW 1415-2 p23
2. ibid pp41-45 & p51.Also printed insertion containing property details issued by Carter, Bentley & Gundill, who conducted the auction on behalf of the brewery company.
3. ibid p50 & pp52-53 &p56
4. The original Debenture Trustees were Mr Colin Mackenzie Smith and Mr Sydney Smith c.f. 1415-1 24-11-1898 & 7-8-1907. However, an indenture dated 27-7-1901 names Mackenzie Smith, Frederick Stacey and J.W. Bentley.
5. To simplify procedure regarding mortgage loans the company sought to use deeds of properties not forming part of the Debenture Trustees' portfolio. In August 1925 Messrs Barker & Jowett of Pontefract were engaged to undertake valuations of the Rawcliffe Bridge Hotel and the Moorthorpe Hotel with a view to their use as securities for loans with the Midland Bank, the properties were conservatively valued at £15,000 and £4,500 respectively c.f. WYW 1415-2 p31
6. ibid pp65-66
7. ibid p87
8. ibid p93
9. ibid p94
10. ibid p15. The Trustees appointed on that occasion were Albert Middleton, manager of the Midland Bank, Sheffield and Walter Scholfield, licensee of Salter Row, Pontefract. The Trustees were replaced in October 1926 by Benjamin Atkinson and Mrs Ellen Robertson c.f. ibid p48
11. ibid p35 & insert recording the resolution of the board pp37-38
12. ibid p95
13. Forrest C. 'History of Knottingley' (1871) pp50-52 for a detailed description of the antique fireplace. Also, Norfolk M. (ed) 'Knottingley & Ferrybridge Digest' No29, January 2006, p10, No 31, March 2006, p16 & No 34, June 2006, p11, for article and correspondence on the subject.
14. WYW 1415-2 pp79-80
15. ibid p105 & p120
16. ibid p107
17. ibid p122
18. ibid pp122-24 & p126
19. ibid p54
20. ibid p77
21. ibid p120 & pp124-25
22. ibid p123
23. ibid p99 & p141
24. ibid p122
25. ibid p114 & WYW 1415-5 p256. Also, Spencer T 'Brewery History Volume 1' p18 & pp37-8 & pp40-41 & 'Knottingley Public Houses...’ p43 & p92
26. 1415-2 p132
27. ibid p129, pp131-2 & p137
28. ibid p143 & p145
29. ibid p116
30. Spencer T 'Brewery History, Volume 1, p72
31. WYW 1415-2 p129
32. ibid p127 & p129
33. ibid p154
34. ibid p168, p170 & p172
35. ibid p126
36. ibid p170, p175 7 pp131-32
37. Pontefract Advertiser 25-6-1920 p7 for reference to lease of Lime Grove for residential purposes. Loc cit 9-12-1927 p15 for report of office fire. Also loc cit for report of fire at Knottingley Brewery 12-3-1932 p5
38. WYW 1415-2 p154
39. ibid & p166
40. ibid p167
41. ibid p97
42. ibid p103
43. ibid p79
44. ibid p117
45. ibid p156, p146 & p124
46. ibid p91, p150, p154 & p228
47. ibid p150
48. ibid p79
49. ibid p154. The Plough Inn and land had an estimated value of £1,500 c.f. ibid p150
50. ibid
51. ibid p124
52. ibid p150.

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