By the turn of the century family entertainment was a regular feature within the town. Magic Lantern shows, ‘rag and stick’ theatre and cinematograph performances were held in the Town Hall and other venues such as the Wesleyan and Congregational Schoolrooms. In 1913, the opening of the Palace Cinema in Aire Street, provided a nightly source of cheap, wholesome entertainment. (1)

In an effort to combat the adverse effects of such social diversions local publicans devised various tactics to stimulate trade. Upon taking up the tenancy of the Wagon & Horses Inn in 1908, James Holgate introduced weekly cinematograph shows. The performances continued for the next four years until, in 1912, the West Riding County Council refused to renew the licence for such entertainment for fears for public safety arising from the introduction of more stringent fire regulations. (2)

At the Lime Keel Inn, the landlord sought to retain the valued custom of the local glassworkers by preparing and selling pickled snails, a delicacy favoured by the artisan glassblowers as a means of preventing throat ailments caused by the heat of the hot blowing irons. The defunct lime quarries in the locality ensured a plentiful supply of snails which were willingly collected by schoolboys who were paid a penny per bucketful by the enterprising publican. (3)

Mention has been made of the way hotelliers of the town stressed the respectability of their premises by emphasising their suitability for patronage by families and commercial gentlemen. The point was given added emphasis by the landlord of the Railway Hotel who in 1904 added "Home Comforts" to the multiple services offered by his establishment. In addition, recreational facilities in the form of billiards were a feature of the house. (4)

Knottingley Brewery, sold by George William Carter in 1892 and reconstituted as a public limited company trading under the Carter name, continued the policy of public house refurbishment begun by Carter. However, the impact of social change, together with the legislative constraints introduced by both Liberal and Conservative parties, spelt doom for some local public houses as trade declined to unviable levels.

As early as 1892, the Royal Oak had been closed and when, as the result of the enactment of a Conservative sponsored Bill, compensatory payments for public house licences suppressed by local authorities was legalised in 1904, others followed suit. The licence of the Anchor Inn was transferred to the Lamb Inn that year and in 1908, the brewery company transferred the licence of the Ship Inn to their newly opened Minsthorp Hotel, South Kirkby. Both the former inns were closed. The Rising Sun which stood on the site of the later Hill Top Workingmens’ Club, itself rebuilt and presently defunct and boarded up, closed in December 1907. Thereafter the former inn premises became a general provisioner’s shop for many years before finally being condemned as unsafe and demolished in 1943. (5) A further inn which underwent transformation was the Jolly Sailor. Refused a licence in the early 1920s, the premises were reformed under the publican-owner, Edwin Dey, as the Foundry Lane Club, under which name it flourishes today, albeit affectionately referred to as ‘The Jolly’. (6)

The advent of the Great War of 1914-1918 and the sudden and forceful imposition of regularised opening hours, increased prices and weaker beer, eventually induced further closures. In 1927 the Greyhound closed. The inn had passed from the ownership of John Carter’s third wife by her death in January 1907, to the brewery company who had long rented the premises. The Company had in turn sold the property in 1913 but the premises continued to be used as an inn until the late 1920s. The property was resold in July 1932 being described as "formerly an inn", at that date. (7) The Bee Hive was also closed in the mid 1920s as the onset of post war economic depression began to bite. The premises were sold in 1926 and were for many years used as an office for a private company. The property fell into a state of dereliction when the company became defunct about 1950, and was demolished some years later.

From the mid twenties a demographic shift occurred within Knottingley as the local council began to construct new public housing estates to the south and west of the town. The public houses, patronised by the inhabitants of the still densely populated central areas of the town in which they were located, nevertheless suffered a gradual diminishment of custom as people were relocated to the developing council estates. Whilst many were willing to make the journey from their new homes to their former locals, others were unwilling to do so, particularly as no public transport connection existed between the two areas of the town. (8) In an effort top tap the potential custom of the large residential areas, in March 1939, Bentley’s Yorkshire Brewery obtained a provisional licence for the construction of a new public house at the junction of Spawd Bone Lane and England Lane. When the Second World War commenced in the September of that year, the building was abandoned at foundation level. The site proved an unofficial adventure playground for a generation of local children until the 1950s when work recommenced and the inn was completed.

Meanwhile, as the war pursued its slow but inexorable course, plans were laid to build a second public house to serve the Broomhill estate and neighbourhood. The site chosen was Long Racca, a field situated along the western edge of Womersley Road, lying next to the railway crossing. The owners were the Tadcaster Brewery Co., who had obtained a provisional licence for the public house in 1939. Owing to the exigencies of war, however, permission to build was delayed until March 1942. The inn was completed shortly afterwards and although it commenced trading before the end of hostilities, was formally opened on Victory Day, May 1945. Amidst much secrecy and speculation the inn was appropriately named as the Winston Hotel. (9) The euphoric opening was somewhat marred, however, when on the opening evening a customer fell over the low wall forming the boundary between the hotel frontage and the much lower ground level at the rear of the wall. The fall caused the death of the customer and as a result the boundary walls were increased to their present height.

Terry Spencer, 1998