Methley Historical Events
Licensed Victualler given another Chance
United Kingdom Hotel, Wood Row, Methley – Sept 1926
At the Wakefield West Riding Court, application was made for the temporary transfer of the licence of the United Kingdom Hotel, from George Ayres to Thomas Holmes.
Mr J Burrows Solicitor, supported the application, and told the bench that Holmes had a conviction against him for an offence of a licensing nature earlier this year whilst he was at the Spring Close Tavern, Leeds. That house, said Mr Burrows, was in a rough quarter and was not an easy one to manage, but during nearly eight years stay he had brought that house to an excellent standard. The conviction was due to his wife supplying four bottles of beer to men to take out at 10:22pm on a busy night, when she had no idea it was so late.
The proprietors of the United Kingdom (Whittaker’s Brewery Company) knew the whole of the circumstances of the case, and, knowing the applicant, were quite prepared to entrust him with the licence and give him an opportunity to return to the trade, if the Bench saw fit to grant him the licence – the police opposed the application as the ground of the previous conviction, however their report added, “With the exception of the above mentioned facts there is no reason why it should not be granted”.
The Chairman (Mr G Butler) said the Bench were of the opinion that the man, having paid the penalty should not be prevented from having another chance. It was very good of the brewery company to support this man.
Reproduced with thanks to the Methley Village website.
View the original article here: Methley Village blog
Whitaker’s Brewery
William Whitaker & Co. Ltd, Old Brewery, Thornton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire. Founded 1757.
Originally at Horton Road, later Great Horton. Brewing ceased in 1928 and the brewery was demolished and replaced by a cinema. They continued to operate as bottlers, wine and spirit merchants and public house owners. When they were aquired by Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd in 1959 they had 119 houses, including the United Kingdom Hotel, Wood Row, Methley near Leeds (March 1898).
