Government Acts

The Government Acts (19th Century)

 Pubs have always been subject to legislation by government, or in times before parliament, by royal decree. The purpose is either to control them or levy tax on them or their sales.

The euphoria that followed the defeat of Napoleon’s army at Waterloo in 1815, and the end to the Napoleonic Wars, was soon tempered by economic decline. Stagnating trade and civil unrest prompted the government to relax some of the restrictive trade laws in an attempt to stimulate growth.

One such attempt was the Beer Act of 1830, which lifted restrictions on the sale and production of beer, allowing any ratepayer (rates being a local tax) to set themselves up as a beerhouse, provided they paid the license fee. The logic behind this was to stimulate the local economy by making beer cheaper, which would please the masses and encourage them to drink beer instead of gin, the consumption of which had reached epidemic proportions. It would undermine the market for smuggled wine and spirits, whilst at the same time raise extra revenue through the license fee.

The result was somewhat different from the intent. There was an explosion in the number of beerhouses, many literally in someone’s house, no matter how modest. Consumption rose, as did drunkenness and crime, but it did nothing to curtail the consumption of gin. This massive increase in the number of licensed premises made them impossible to police. Furthermore, it managed to upset the brewers and established publicans whose trade was being undermined. Those that could afford it improved or even rebuilt their pubs to make them more attractive than the basic beerhouse.

The genie was out of the bottle and the government at risk if it tried to put it back. Instead it tinkered with the legislation with new acts which increased license fees and restricted opening hours. Until now, pubs opened when they wanted to. Justices were given back responsibility for issuing new licenses. Despite this, the number of licenses rose.

Drunkenness didn’t have the stigma in the 17 th and 18 th centuries that it has today, alcohol was seen as medicinal, after all, it was safer than the water. It is wrong to suggest that all drunkenness was due to poverty, but the poor had good reason to escape reality through drink. Little thought was given to the reasons why a huge proportion of the population drank so much. This was the century of industrial revolution and massive urban expansion. The poor lived in stinking, unsanitary and cramped conditions. They were drunk in public for all to see, not in a club or private house, so were an easy and visible target for condemnation.

Fears of drunkenness and related crime grew, particularly amongst the urban middle classes, who, through enterprise, education and good fortune were able to improve their lives. Social divisions appeared in pubs themselves, many divided into ‘Public’, ‘Saloon’ or ‘Private’ rooms. There was also a move away from pubs altogether, those who could afford it joined Gentlemen’s Clubs, or frequented restaurants or cafes.

Despite its critics and the genuine concern about drunkenness, the pub served a vital social function for many. Much of the drinking water was contaminated, sometimes lethally. Beer at least was relatively safe. Pubs provided food too, and would heat up food brought in, for a small fee. They also provided a social function and respite for the poor, a warm and comfortable refuge compared with their customer’s homes.

In the convivial atmosphere of a pub, friends, colleagues or total strangers will strike up conversations over a pint. It is not surprising then that pubs were also a meeting place for societies and political groups, some trades unions started life in the pub. They also acted as informal labour exchanges. The satirical magazine, Punch, was founded in a pub in Fleet Street, renamed the Punch Tavern in honour of its former customers.

There was entertainment too. Musical acts and magicians performed their acts in pubs. Some of the pub venues were so successful that they became musical theatres, or music halls. Pubs sprang up where people massed, in particular near transportation terminals, such as bus, tram or railway stations. How many Railway or Station Taverns are there? As well as adapting their names to the transport links they served, termini and stations took their names from pubs. The Angel at Islington; Elephant and Castle; Half Moon at Herne Hill; Royal Oak; Swiss Cottage all are named after pubs.

The growth of the temperance movement and the reaction against drunkenness gained momentum in the mid 19th century. Although not as successful as its American model, the anti-drinking lobby did influence later government legislation.

So what has all this to do with pubs? Acts of Parliament, the Temperance Movement and even sanitation, had an influence on the pubs we drink in today. Licensing laws, governing opening hours, the number and restriction of licenses, the size and shape of pubs, their proliferation and decline, were shaped by events over a century ago, particularly in London.

Walk down any of London’s major thoroughfares and it will have several Victorian pubs or their remains. Corner sites were particularly common and a little investigation will reveal a tell tale space for a pub sign, or a carved panel with a pub name. It is difficult to imagine how many pubs there were, but by the 1870’s St. James’s, in the centre of the City of Westminster, had one pub for every 116 people. Pressure to reduce the number of licenses lead to a clamour for pubs. Brewers did deals with the Justices, agreeing to close two or three pubs in order to gain a license on a new, larger or improved pub. In the 1880’s and 90’s a pub boom took place, the like of which has never been repeated. Competition in London was particularly fierce as brewers from Burton-on-Trent, the traditional home of English brewing, began buying pubs in the capital.

The boom couldn’t have happened without the funds to fuel it and, by design or coincidence, many brewers floated their businesses on the stock exchange. This raised millions of pounds, which in turn was spent on acquiring, improving or rebuilding pubs. The majority of Central London pubs on this website were built, rebuilt or remodelled during this time.

Keen to outdo each other and with money to burn, some designs were so extravagant, they cost the equivalent of millions of pounds today. The architects were generally used to designing commercial buildings, after all these were public houses, not public buildings. Nevertheless they had access to a vast selection of materials, from exotic hardwoods and stoneware, to the finest glass and ceramics. Many of these materials were new, either brought from the extremes of the Empire or manufactured using novel processes.

The brashness and brilliance of these pubs was reminiscent of the Gin Palace, but with a self conscious tone of class rather than brass. An air of respectability was essential. That was the aim, but the result was often a mish-mash of styles, with decoration on decoration, a complete contrast to current modern styling. Even now, with ornaments removed and decoration toned down, these pubs seem fussy and overly ornate. Closer inspection however reveals an unrepeatable quality and craftsmanship.

Examples need to be experienced rather than explained. Only a few of these extraordinary establishments have survived, none of them entirely intact. The Red Lion, Duke of York Street, St. James’s, the Argyll Arms near Oxford Circus and the Princess Louise, Holborn are magnificent examples of the craftsmanship of the mirror and glass manufacturers. Each pub divided into small bar areas by screens of deep cut and etched glass, set in hefty French polished frames. Beautifully painted mirrors in the Victoria, Bayswater, add refinement to an impressive interior. The walls of the Princess Louise, Holborn, are decorated in superb colourful ceramics and the Prince Alfred, Maida Vale, has huge bowed glass windows, snob screens and carved joinery.