1. : Fire and Flood
For many centuries, after the Normans ruthlessly
re-modelled Norwich, the only time that re-development
on a grand scale was undertaken was after a major fire.
There were plenty of those, however, when nearly all
buildings had thatched roofs!
As for flood, the worst recorded one seems
to have been the latest, as recently as 1912.
This flood, a few years before the Housing Acts
(and thence the start of "slum-clearance"),
provided more ammunition for those members of
the City Council who were keen to demolish
as many old buildings as possible.
The other kind of flood was of cattle - to the
Cattle Market. A major expansion plan was conceived
circa 1861, and deserves its own special account.
2. : Industry
Norwich missed the "Industrial Revolution";
and continued a long tradition of "cottage"
industry, utilising small, adapted premises.
When the railways arrived (middle of the 19th C.),
they brought coal : so a delayed mini-revolution began.
Heavier industry (not much) might, wisely,
choose to locate on the outskirts of the City;
although this was spectacularly untrue of the Gasworks,
in "World's End Lane" (1880) - almost next to the Cathedral (!!)
What, by 1860, had become the dominant industry -
footwear manufacture - nearly always seemed to
prefer sites well within the City Walls.
They could buy old houses cheaply and, by removing
the inhabitants and their local custom, could probably
(and later) secure a low price for any public-house(s)
on the intended factory-site.
At any rate, the re-development process involved money
only; there being few Town Planning hurdles to jump !.
Probably the last big factory to be carved-out
of a residential area, around 1923, was -
Sexton, Son & Everard (St. Mary's Plain).
Unsurprisingly, this area was one very badly
affected (including price-wise!) by the 1912 flood.
3. : The Slums
The building of Sexton's factory coincided
with the start of "slum-clearance".
This proceeded mainly in the form of providing new
(Council) houses for old; although smaller industries
sometimes took root.
For sure, whatever re-building took place, the
population (greatly over-crowded before) shrank
alarmingly - as most were moved out to the suburbs;
greatly reducing the number of pubs needed to
serve the remaining local inhabitants.
Road-widening was often carried-out; as a 'bonus'
arising from the clearance works, and from the funds
made available to the Council. The widenings usually
had the more adverse effect on pub buildings;
which were, themselves, not necessarily slums.
As in the factory boom, breweries had to take comfort
from money received for their pubs; there being no
point in trying to preserve (most of) those outlets,
in much de-populated neighbourhoods.
At least, under the Housing Acts, they probably got
a fairer price than from the rapacious factory-owners!.
Indeed, there were often cases of sound pubs being
spared, and surrounded by new dwellings, in order to
save the Council large sums in compensation.
4. : The Licences
There was, however, another well-established regime
to take into account : there was little or no chance of a
brewery creating a new pub anywhere i.e. while it had
all its existing portfolio.
A busy "trade" had grown up (probably as early as the
1870s), by which the local Licensing Magistrates would
allow new pubs (often in new suburban areas, of
obvious "need"), by transfer of licences from those
demolished. Also see the Licences Section.
There was an open-and-shut case whenever the
Council, under the Housing Acts, were forcing
the hand of the Brewery.
This did not prevent a small proportion of pubs being
re-built, along with the new Council houses; and
usually on the re-aligned roads, provided all the
licence numbers still added-up.
5. : World War Two
Many pubs were damaged or destroyed in this conflict.
Where the brewery had the money and the
determination to re-build, they did. Damaged buildings
might even be demolished, for larger and more modern
premises to arise.
If, however, Hitler's efforts were a blessing in disguise
for the brewery, they would grab the Licence with both
hands, and build anew further out of the City.
The overall effect, in numbers of pubs, was pretty
neutral; although some very attractive and\or much
favoured haunts were, of course, lost to their sad "regulars".
Life as Normal was the perceived aim of the breweries,
who saw no reason to think that the commercial
prospects were any different from those experienced
in the boom years of the mid-1930's.
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6. : The Last of the Slums
After clearing-up the ravages of war, eventually the
Council resumed its "slum-clearance" programmes,
which had been so rudely interrupted, in the early 1960s.
They possibly had the lesser portion still to achieve;
with much of the remainder being concentrated in
just two areas :
- the "New City" a.k.a. Vauxhall area; and
- the steep hillside of King Street/Ber Street.
In the latter case, a brand new road (Rouen Road)
was designed to cross the area; affecting some
pubs which clearly had "nothing to do with"
any public-health schemes
(e.g. being just outside the area).
By now, however, the Licensed Trade had begun to
experience a "sea-change". Far from scrabbling for
licence-transfers, for ambitious new buildings, most
breweries were now glad to see the back of their
older (and more expensive to maintain) pubs.
These had been losing trade steadily . . . .
since the advent of television, and
supermarket "off-sales".
Breweries were content to try to preserve their profits
via a shrunken portfolio of the bigger and newer houses.
7. : One-way Traffic
The money (from the Public Purse), which the
breweries received via Clearance Schemes, could
now be pocketed, rather than re-invested -
as had been customary before the War.
This "happy" result dovetailed nicely with
the preferences of the planners and designers :
for a broad sweep of destruction and a clean slate
for re-building.
Some large businesses were also keen to expand and
re-locate within the City, much as the shoe-factories
of the early 1900's.
All too often, pubs were demolished which, by any
criteria of attractiveness, fitness and soundness,
should have been retained : to enhance the street-scene.
When the breweries, other big businesses and the
Council all pull in the same direction, the fate of
"tied" pubs is sealed!
Somehow, the money could now be found for
compensation (admittedly based on lower turnovers);
whereas earlier times had seen every effort made to
keep pubs in situ - to save public money.
8. : The Erosions
Eventually, the breweries themselves began to
re-develop pub sites on an individual basis.
Demise: Section C describes one of the most
obvious targets for exploitation : the gardens and
bowling-greens of certain pubs.
But this phase of activity was as long ago
as the late-1960s.
Much has changed re the ownership of pubs since then :
indeed ever more rapidly since (say..) 1991 - for which
we have a landmark survey.
More recently, some pubs with large car-parks have
fallen victim to total re-development; the new owners
having no real interest in selling alcohol to local
residents, or in providing community facilities
of any kind.
9. : Destruction ?
A pub which is itself a large structure, can
successfully be converted into several flats.
The Volunteer Inn on Dereham Road (1997)
is a good example.
Conversely, the Earl of Leicester was a large pub,
capable of such treatment; but which was hastily
flattened (2005) - at great cost to the townscape
in that area.
Other examples of wholesale re-development
(mainly for new housing) include :-
Please note that :-
- The dates are those of closure, not re-development.
- Not all cleared sites are yet built upon, owing to
the speculative nature of the schemes.
- Large commercial premises, e.g. supermarkets,
are already up and running in the
three cases asterisked.
^Top^
10. : The Upsurge?
The building of a new "city" pub, or even the change
of use - from shop to pub - has been a rare event in
recent times; rare, but not unheard of, and accordingly
much celebrated.
Also see Recent Trends.
Only very recently have pubs been added to the urban
scene by way of RE-development. The most notable
examples have been due to the arrival of the
Wetherspoon chain of free-houses.
The growth of the "free" sector, and the retreat of the
breweries, is a fascinating subject; which needs to be
addressed separately.
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