Most reliable cruising - Oxford Summit (eleven mile pound) or Napton - Hillmorton - Braunston

[Tim Lewis]

5 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

What we now refer to as Lord Young's Beer Orders of 1989 did for the brewing industry what others infamously achieved with British Steel, British Leyland and British Coal.

After a successful campaign by CAMRA, the 'big six' breweries were forced to sell off the bulk of their licenced premises. This made operating breweries less profitable and many of these too were subsequently closed or sold off. During the late 1990s UK pubs were closing at the rate of 50 a week. The net result was thousands of employees losing their jobs.

 

The concept of managed public houses was never fully understood by those outside the industry but it was really no different to any other multi-outlet retail business. Staff were properly trained and managed, the breweries employed professional skilled staff and technicians to look after the premises and develop products, whilst also taking care of marketing, finance and administration. It worked well.

 

The net result of the 1989 Beer Orders is a situation where most pubs are now owned by property or finance companies who invest in the capital rather than the concept and milk them dry by renting them out to, so called, entrepreneurial tenants. The latter often lack professional training and find themselves working all hours to make a living.

 

I must admit I am of the same opinion on the Beer Orders

 

 

[David Mack]

 

21 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

What we now refer to as Lord Young's Beer Orders of 1989 did for the brewing industry what others infamously achieved with British Steel, British Leyland and British Coal.

After a successful campaign by CAMRA, the 'big six' breweries were forced to sell off the bulk of their licenced premises. This made operating breweries less profitable and many of these too were subsequently closed or sold off. During the late 1990s UK pubs were closing at the rate of 50 a week. The net result was thousands of employees losing their jobs.

 

The concept of managed public houses was never fully understood by those outside the industry but it was really no different to any other multi-outlet retail business. Staff were properly trained and managed, the breweries employed professional skilled staff and technicians to look after the premises and develop products, whilst also taking care of marketing, finance and administration. It worked well.

 

The net result of the 1989 Beer Orders is a situation where most pubs are now owned by property or finance companies who invest in the capital rather than the concept and milk them dry by renting them out to, so called, entrepreneurial tenants. The latter often lack professional training and find themselves working all hours to make a living.

Yes. Superficially attractive in an attempt as a means of breaking the stranglehold that the big brewery/pub companies had in many parts of the country, and to open up the formerly tied houses to the small independent brewers.

But fell foul of the law of unintended consequences. Whitbread promptly acquired all Bass Charington's pubs and in exchange Bass acquired all Whitbread's breweries. So the big brewers no longer had an interest in their main outlets, and the pubcos saw their estate (and their tenants/managers) purely as assets to be exploited (or shut down if they couldn't perform). A bad move.

Edited February 22, 2021 by David Mack

[David Schweizer]

2 hours ago, NB Alnwick said:

Although the beer of that era may not have been applauded by all connoisseurs, I still hold the view that CAMRA whether deliberately or unintentionally, did more than any other organisation to bring about the destruction of traditional British pubs. I say this as someone who joined the business before the end of the big Brewery's golden era and I witnessed its demise from within.

Some Brewers, who were a bit more concerned about brewing good beer, rather than mass prioducing a brown liquid that made their shareholders rich survived very well.  A couple that spring to mind are  Shepherd Neame, and Wadworths.

[Boatingbiker]

On 21/02/2021 at 17:00, Ex Brummie said:

If you want lock free, why not look at North Oxford/Coventry/Ashby. All the way from Hillmorton to Atherstone with just the stop lock a Hawkesbury.

Castle Marina have just brought up Brinklow Marina and the one at Hinckey in the middle of this area, great for almost lock free cruising