(Paras. 1 to 6)

Pubs in 1991

The Unicorn Guide

1. : Introduction

Nevertheless, it would be wise to assume that
the survey of all 215 pubs took place in mid-1990.

Inevitably, certain pubs were omitted; perhaps
currently empty, or being rather remote, namely -
     the Albert, the Blue Boar,
     the Crown Point, and the Woodside.
The pubs in most of Costessey
were not surveyed at all :-
     the Bush, the Crown,
     the Round Well and the White Hart.

Perhaps Boswell's and Hector's House were omitted by
'virtue' of being "café bars". Finally, there was no
mention of Muswell's - formerly "Quick's" (see para. 4).

A realistic total of 226 pubs can thus be assumed.
This total compares with 233 in the Chapman Survey
of 1984.
However, 7 of the 8 hotels listed by Chapman
do not appear in the 1991 Guide.

Despite differences in scope/compilation of the lists,
this indicates a clear slowdown in the hectic pace of
closures, which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s particularly.

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2. : The Big Breweries

By 1990 Watney's had, once again, changed their title
to Manns & Norwich; although their registered office
was in Harlestone Road, Northampton.
The only real ales they boasted of supplying were -
Webster's Yorkshire bitter and Ruddles County.

We have included 3 pubs held by
Grand Metropolitan Hotels under the Manns etc. total;
as 'Grand Met.' were well-known as the firm who
took over Watney Mann.
Hence the total of Watney's [to keep things simple]
pubs was 78, vastly down on the 1984 figure of 135.
The % figure of 36.3% was correspondingly
down on the 1984 figure of 57.1%.

Whitbread, principally the inheritors of all the former
Lacon's houses, were at two above the number of pubs
held in 1984, namely 21 instead of 19.
They had added the Merchants of Colegate
and the Forge to their list, both previously free houses.
They also operated two houses under the name
"Berni Inns" : the Norfolk Tavern and the Rushcutters.

Courage, in the City since 1971, were listed
with 30 pubs, as against the 1984 total of 32.
This nevertheless gives a slight increase to 13.9%,
from the earlier figure of 13.7%

By 1990 there had been a substantial incursion from
the mighty Scottish & Newcastle group, trading under
the name of "Chef & Brewer".
The list of 8 premises (3.7 % of the total) is :-
Compleat Angler
Farmhouse Inn
Maid Marian
Maid's Head  (Spixworth Road)
Red Lion  (Bishopgate)
Red Lion  (Eaton)
Royal Oak  (N. Walsham Road)
Woolpack  (Golden Ball Street)

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3. : The Free Sector

This leaves 21 free houses to be accounted for.
Happily, 14 stalwart cases survived until 1991,
but 7 losses had been sustained.
Conversely, the Free Sector had gained 5 more pubs;
bringing the 1991 total to 20 (including the hotel);
or a miserly 9.3% of the 215 outlets.

Dealing firstly with the losses, in addition to
the Merchants and Forge (see para. 2) :-
James the First - to Charrington's
Thorpe Station - to 'Grand Met.'
Ten Bells - to Greene King
White Lion - to Brent Walker (11/88)
Pineapple - Closed May 1985

Dealing with the accretions :-
Anchor Quay - 1986
Bedfords Brasserie etc.
Catherine Wheel - Nov. 1990
Crown  (Goldwell Road)
Ribs of Beef - 1985

4. : Minority Breweries

Ind Coope - ignoring the Lansdowne Hotel - had lost
the Alexandra to Greene King (see below); and
Muswell's was moribund when the Guide was being prepared.
This reduced their count to just two pubs :
the Lawyer and the Queen's Arms.

Adnam's were still at their low starting point,
with just the 3 pubs listed in 1984. (But see
impending developments with Whitbread's Brewery)

Greene King in 1990 had retained all seven pubs
listed in the 1984 Survey.
In addition they had acquired the Coach & Horses
in Bethel Street and the Alexandra, in Old Palace Road;
from Watney Mann and Ind Coope respectively.
The latter was closed only 7 years later.

The 1984 Survey revealed the undermining
of the fledgling free market by Greene King -
particularly noticeable in their arrival at
the Ten Bells in December 1987.
Such activity is currently giving Greene King
the ghastly title of "The New Watney Mann".

Charrington's had taken over the
James I and Norkie pubs since 1984.

Messrs. Bass had just the one pub :
the famous Gundry White's.

In all, 22 outlets were tied to the smaller
regional/national breweries in 1990;
giving a respectable 10.2% of the total.  

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5. : New Kids on the Block

All these properties appear to have been ceded by the
by the Watney Mann/Grand Met. group; with the
exception of the White Lion (see para. 3 above).
They accounted for 10.7% of the total,
i.e. more than the free houses.

Another was Clifton Inns with 13 outlets,
and registering 6.0% of the total.  

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6. : Summary

• 20 free outlets = 9.3 % and
• 22 miscellaneous ties = 10.2 %

Three of the above names were
new to Norwich since 1984.
They had all clearly plundered the large stock of pubs
held by the failed and subordinated Watney Mann
organisation - in all its many titles and forms.

Grand Met. itself has since disappeared from the pub
scene; making way for other "PubCos", such as
Pubmaster, Enterprise Inns, Punch Taverns
and Phoenix Inns.

Best of all, more free houses have also resulted
from the upheavals of the 1990s.

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