The Globe & Laurel (former), Britton Street, Gillingham, 2011
The Globe & Laurel takesits name from the Royal Marines Crest, not surprising considering the nearby Royal Marines Barracks and Chatham Dockyard. It had been in existence since at least 1860 and closed in about 1975.
The Globe & Laurel is a perfect example of the many thousands of beerhouses that once dotted the country. Under the 1830 Beer Act, any householder who paid rates could apply, with a one-off payment of two guineas, to sell beer or cider in his home (usually the front parlour) and even brew his own on his premises. The permission did not extend to the sale of spirits and fortified wines and any beer house discovered selling those items was closed down and the owner heavily fined. Beer houses were not permitted to open on Sundays. The beer was usually served in jugs or dispensed directly from tapped wooden barrels lying on a table in the corner of the room. Often profits were so high the owners were able to buy the house next door to live in, turning every room in their former home into bars and lounges for customers.
Within eight years of the Act there were about 46,000 Beerhouses opened across the country, far outnumbering the combined total of long-established taverns, public houses, inns and hotels. Because it was so easy to obtain permission and the profits could be huge compared to the low cost of gaining permission, the number of beer houses was continuing to rise and in some towns nearly every other house in a street could be a beer house. Finally in 1869 the growth had to be checked by magisterial control and new licensing laws were introduced. Only then was the ease by which permission could be obtained reduced and the licensing laws which operate today formulated.
Although the new licensing laws prevented any new beer houses from being created, those already in existence were allowed to continue and many did not fully die out until nearly the end of the 19th century. A very small number remained into the 21st century. The vast majority of the old beer houses applied for the new licences and became full public houses, or closed down as time went by. These usually small establishments can still be identified in many towns, seemingly oddly located in the middle of otherwise terraced housing part way up a street, unlike purpose-built pubs that are usually found on corners or road junctions. Many of today's real ale micro-brewers in the UK started as home based Beer House brewers under the 1830 Act.
The Globe & Laurel (former), Britton Street, Gillingham, 2011
The Globe & Laurel takesits name from the Royal Marines Crest, not surprising considering the nearby Royal Marines Barracks and Chatham Dockyard. It had been in existence since at least 1860 and closed in about 1975.
The Globe & Laurel is a perfect example of the many thousands of beerhouses that once dotted the country. Under the 1830 Beer Act, any householder who paid rates could apply, with a one-off payment of two guineas, to sell beer or cider in his home (usually the front parlour) and even brew his own on his premises. The permission did not extend to the sale of spirits and fortified wines and any beer house discovered selling those items was closed down and the owner heavily fined. Beer houses were not permitted to open on Sundays. The beer was usually served in jugs or dispensed directly from tapped wooden barrels lying on a table in the corner of the room. Often profits were so high the owners were able to buy the house next door to live in, turning every room in their former home into bars and lounges for customers.
Within eight years of the Act there were about 46,000 Beerhouses opened across the country, far outnumbering the combined total of long-established taverns, public houses, inns and hotels. Because it was so easy to obtain permission and the profits could be huge compared to the low cost of gaining permission, the number of beer houses was continuing to rise and in some towns nearly every other house in a street could be a beer house. Finally in 1869 the growth had to be checked by magisterial control and new licensing laws were introduced. Only then was the ease by which permission could be obtained reduced and the licensing laws which operate today formulated.
Although the new licensing laws prevented any new beer houses from being created, those already in existence were allowed to continue and many did not fully die out until nearly the end of the 19th century. A very small number remained into the 21st century. The vast majority of the old beer houses applied for the new licences and became full public houses, or closed down as time went by. These usually small establishments can still be identified in many towns, seemingly oddly located in the middle of otherwise terraced housing part way up a street, unlike purpose-built pubs that are usually found on corners or road junctions. Many of today's real ale micro-brewers in the UK started as home based Beer House brewers under the 1830 Act.