Forstal

Throwley

Information kindly sent by Michael Keeler-Walker says the following:- The Shepherd Neame archive series on Facebook suggest this pub was still open in 1916 and that is was a Sheps pub.

For the 24th instalment of Anecdotes from the Archives, our resident Archivist-Historian John Owen looks at how Shepherd Neame and clubs interacted during the First World War.

In April 1916, Harry Neame issued a letter similar to that sent to the Army Canteens to another longer standing market, the clubs.

In 1911 the Brewery supplied 60 clubs, which accounted for approximately 20% of its output. At the beginning of the First World War the number shot up to 90 clubs. In 1916 the Brewery was forced to halve that number in order to remain inside the Government quotas of beer production.

The 'go to' clubs were the smaller political and social clubs rather than the large working men’s clubs in the industrialised Kent ports. These ranged from The Faversham Gentleman’s Club in Gatefield Lane, The Faversham Conservative Club in Abbey Street and The Faversham Golf Club at Belmont in Throwley, to The Beckenham Liberal Club and The Penge Conservative Club. The tiny Throwley Club near their pub The Scott’s Greys on The Forstal was also axed.

Clubs on the cusp of the supply area such as The Walthamstow Club in Essex were axed also; in that case with the rather spurious reason ‘that we have to supply huge quantities to the military in the area’.

New business had to be declined and many letters quoted The Output of Beer Restrictions Act. One letter sent to The Crofton Working Mens’ Club in 1917 stated: "We would have been pleased to open an account were it not for government curtailing brewers' output". In 1918 Harry Neame wrote magnanimously or with tongue in cheek to The Manor Park Club in Romford: "Thank you for your offer of business but under today’s circumstances we do not feel we could take away business from another brewer (probably Inde Cope) unless he agrees".

Traditional business practices clearly survived. In April 1916 clubs were informed that a surcharge of 1/- would be levied on each barrel to minimise the quantity of beer returned and so to reduce waste. In September 1918 The Swanley Working Mans Club was informed that it had exceeded its quarterly quota but that a quantity of Certified Government Beer was available at an extra cost of 25/- per barrel.

In September 1918 the Brewery supplied 29 clubs with a mere 716 bulk barrels. The effects of war were obvious.

LICENSEE LIST

CLIFTON Edwin 1901+ (also gardens domestic age 57 in 1901)

BONES Alfred to Dec/1906

Census