HOMEBREW HERITAGE

  This will be the last of our posts for a while, the project website will be up soon and we'll be providing a link here. We are not exactly drawing the bolts: there'll be chances to make  some additions to  the site and the archive. Hopefully we will soon be able to visit  a few friends with stories and pictures to share. And there will be more events. Watch the usual spaces. If anyone out there is hearing of this project for the first time, you can still get in touch at homebrewheritage@gmail.com Thank you for all your comments, its been an enormous pleasure to work on this project. We have had some very nice comments from participants and visitors to the archive and as you can see, things are still arriving. Thanks to Joyce Wilding we now have this Hartley's Bar towel,  rescued from the back of a kitchen drawer and these brass taps from Nigel Saul, who recalls washing them out many times during his time at Hartley's.  The Hartley's In the 80's photo exhi...

 Many thanks to all who we met at the Hope And Anchor yesterday for  the launch of Hartley's In The 80's and Ale Tales.  Great to see you all and to hear so many nice comments about what we have been doing and enjoying Ste Tyson and Simon Norfolk's Starange Brew tune selection.. Here are a couple of photos from the early part of the day, with Nigel and Val from our hosts Homes For Ulverston CLT setting out the stall, and some of our visitors and contributors inside watching our slide show on the pub screen.  Remember, our exhibition is at the Sir John Barrow Cottage, opening days are  Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and this weekend we'll be open Saturday too.  And, also from Nigel,  here at the foot of the page are a couple of appendages that anyone who worked in the Brewery will  recognise and probably had to clean... Thanks again one and all, and especially to the Hope for having us.

  Two events today... we launch Nigel Saul's book of photographs Hartley's In The 80's and our Boxed Set of Ale Tales beermats at the Hope And Anchor from 3pm, and Nigel's photos are on the walls of the  Sir John Barrow Cottage from this morning.  There's no charge for the book, Nigel's photos have been an enormous and unexpected boost to this project, so think of it as a thank-you from us that will make its way around the town and the pubs, into the local archives and Brewing history groups, to exiled locals and Hartley's aficionados elsewhere...The Beermats are £5 for the boxed set, and anything we make there will go into the next project.   SAs you see below, The Cottage is a great setting for this work, and its very good to commemorate one Ulverston institution within the walls of another. The Cottage opens its doors on fridays and sundays. There'll be further open days between now and the end of July while Nigel's work is up, we'll keep you ...

  Sophie was the first person to get in touch with us, she sent a painting of her Dad at work which drew a lot of comments and helped get us started. Sophie's Dad Danny worked at Hartley's for 14 years. He was a keen historian, and would have been a real asset to this project.   Here is Sophie's Dad, caught by Nigel Saul's camera in the Mash Tun,and here is Sophie in her own words and those of her family... https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-heritage/sets/sophie-birtwistle Its good to wrap up this stage of our project about Hartley's and Ulverston with a look back at someone who made a real contribution to his workplace and his town and who is remembered by so many with great fondness and a smile.  Remember, Nigel's exhibition at the Sir John Barrow Cottage opens  this sunday June 27th, and his photo book will make its first appearance at the Hope And Anchor on the same day. The photos will be on screen indoors from 3 to 5, we'll be around, and in the backgroun...

This message came from Christine McKenna, whose Grandfather was Company Secretary and Managing Director at  Hartley's after WW2.  This is a really evocative account of Christine's visits to the Brewery as a young girl. Our photo shows a much earlier photo of Ulverston Market Cross with the Big Kings - known as the Klondike- in the background. Many thanks, Christine, A fri end sent me your post regarding gaining information for your project on the brewery. Both my Grandfather & Mother worked for Hartley's Brewery. My grandparents, Irving & Lily Wright managed Hartley's pubs in Urswick & Flookburgh when my mum was young. Eventually they asked the Brewery to refurbish the Kings Arms Hotel in Ulverston, as it was run down & they managed that for a few years, including during the war, when teachers accompanying evacuated children, were staying with them.  My Grandfather then worked for the brewery in the offices, as did my Mum eventually. Mum was Secretary to...

 Hello, we are gradually easing towards the closing date of the project and I'm glad to announce a couple of events during the coming weeks.  On June 27th we will meet in the garden of  the Hope And Anchor on Daltongate at 3pm to launch Hartley's In The 1980's, a small book of Nigel Saul's photographs of his Hartley's workmates and of various nooks and crannies on the site.  Hopefully we'll also have our commemorative beermat selection  based on bottle labels donated by John Raisbeck and Allan and Anne Bolton. A slide show of Nigel's work will be rolling on the screen in the pub's back room.  This is quite short and will run continuously so everyone who wants to should be able to see it without any crowding, as we want you to remain safe, and  to help us follow the current safety restrictions. Ste Tyson will be in the Hope garden from 5-7 with a gentle DJ set called Strange Brew to  underscore a few drinks and  some conversation at the end of...

 Todays interviewee is known to all as Baff...for reasons that will be become clear.  Baff is a familiar face on either side of the Bars of Ulverston, and he has some cracking stories concerning impromptu cabaret in the Braddylls, childhood experiments with gravity and the question of how well Hartley's "travelled.." in less than ideal conditions. https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-heritage/sets/baff Many thanks Baff.

Steve Atkinson worked on the last Brew at Hartley's. H ere he tells us of his working day, and shares  his memories of workmates and the atmosphere around the place in the 80s and in the latter months.  https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-heritage/sets/steve-atkinson There's also a shot from the Evening Mail of Steve and his workmates, and another - below- of a bottle from that last brew, supplied by Anita from the Ulverston Brewing Company. Keep an eye out for announcements of events and publications from this project, and there are more interviews to come...   Many thanks to Steve for his time and for  a really interesting interview. 

This is June Saul, mum of Nigel.   June, who lived at Swarthmoor, worked in the Hartley's offices in the 80's, from where came Nigel's payslip... This one is from Nigel's time as a student employee in the late 70's.  Nigel has also kindly sent a photograph of his Mum's job offer letter from November 1977, signed by Eric Simpson. Remember, anything you can tell us about your time at Hartley's is part of its history, so get in touch with photos and stories...it all helps to tell the story.  

Hello again...We are currently planning some actual public events!  We've been in touch with Ulverston Beer Festival to discuss exhibiting Nigel Saul's photographs from his time at the Brewery in the 80's. You'll have seen a few on here, but not the rest. We have 30 brand new black and white and colour prints currently being framed. They make quite an acquisition.  Fingers crossed eh? Also in the pipes is an edition, a bit of memorabilia of our own to spread the word about the project, and acknowledge the help we've had from many of  your good selves....so keep a look out for news on that, and a few more interviews to come..  In the meantime, here are two items from  Nigel Saul's own collection of memorabilia.. First, a commemorative glass, back and front. And secondly, this is the front page of Robinsons In-House magazine, from December 1982.  I'm sure it raises  a lot mixed feelings, but it's part of the story.  Many thanks to Nigel for showing ...

 This is David Marshall, he's given us our latest socially-distanced phone interview about his time with Hartley's and, briefly , Robinsons as a Joiner in the Building Depot on Hart Street and later at Backbarrow. If you've been for a beer in Ulverston  then the chances are you've walked through or leant against some of Dave's work which includes the bar at the Hope, and the mighty front door at the Piel.  Dave talks about working life at the Bobbin Mill and elsewhere, recalls  his colleagues at the Brewery including Joe Banks, and describes the move from Hart Street to Backbarrow and shares his memory last days of the Brewery. Also, Dave has also driven an interesting range of vehicles in his time... Among his workmates Dave mentions Dave Wilson, a Drayman and a big man in every sense. Coincidentally a photo of Dave turned up on line on the same day as we spoke, and our friend Tony Mitchell has ok'd our using it here.  From the comments attached to Tony's p...

 Keith Newby is an ex-Ulverston and North Lancs Policeman with a number of connections to the Hartley's Brewery and Head Brewer Eric Simpson. We phoned  him at home and recorded a long and interesting conversation about his childhood and teenage years in Ulverston, including an early encounter with the local coppers. Dr Higgins' Youth Club  and an insight into teenage social life and courtship. https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-heritage/sets/keith-newby There are a few clicks and rumbles on the line, but  nothing that gets in the way.  Here are Keith and his friend Barry Wicks in the Market Hall at the launch of this project. Thanks Keith, glad to have your stories  in our collection.  

 Anne Bolton came to our first open session at the Market Hall, which seems a very long time ago... Many of you will know Anne and her husband Alan. He was a Driver at the Brewery till he retired in 2009, and very kindly wrote down some recollections  for us, and supplied the two labels here and a sheet of Hartleys official headed notepaper. When its possible we'll have a proper talk with Alan, who has a wealth of information about the pub trade in this area, but for now we are very grateful to him and Anne for taking the trouble to write this piece for us and for Anne's own recorded     memories of the Union pub in the 1970's.  This is the first time we have tried a phone interview, and it  is good to know that the option is available, so thanks again to Anne for going along with us and for an insight into 70's publife that will surprise a lot of younger female listeners...as an addendum I saw Anne briefly and she asked me to remind you that while in ...

 More  1990's telly from Joyce Wilding.   Our main interest here is in the visit to the Brewery, but again I thought you'd enjoy seeing the whole piece. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fb_VVAn9o94g0akgs4T9NbZROzL-kJFf/view?usp=sharing This is a Holiday programme from North West Tonight...Bill Cubin and and the Laurel and Hardy museum are featured again, we visit Argyle Street and we see the presenters surrounded by a crowd of kids in Stan And Ollie masks...are you in that crowd? We hear about some local cuisine, and we get trips to Holker Hall and up to Millom too. In the Brewery- and in the Rose and Crown- we meet Head Brewer Mike McKinna and Paul Fleming from CAMRA and we see a lot of the Brewery workforce. It would be nice to put names to faces so if you recognise anyone please let us know. And again, if you see an old friend or family member and would like a still image,  we can send you one. Thanks for the video, Joyce.

This video comes from Joyce Wilding, it's one of three that we'll be posting over December. Rather than just show the bits that feature the Brewery, I'd thought we'd show the lot, partly for context and partly because there will be a lot of familiar faces moving in and out of frame..here's the link.. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C7766zMq8v3vNIeFcgqHkSI3T2iGGC_j/view?usp=sharing I recognise Bill Stables, my pal Mike Willoughby busking, John Fox at Welfare State and Bill Cubin in the original Laurel and Hardy Museum, and of course Joyce's Dad Eric Simpson. He doesn't mince his words.  The camera roams the town, goes up Hoad and inside the unrenovated monument, then pans across the streets on market day where I'm sure a few of you will recognise friends and family. If you want a still, let me know exactly where in the film it is and I'll grab it and email it to you.  I don't know much about the presenter. Looks an alright way to make a living, t...

      We were delighted to hear from Joyce Wilding. Many of you will know Joyce.  In her interview she talks about her childhood, her working life with the Ministry of Agriculture, and her memories of her Dad, Eric Simpson. Joyce grew up in and around the Hartley's Brewery, and shares her personal recollections of her Dad's pride in the place.   https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-heritage/sets/joyce-wilding-nee-simpson   Joyce has also allowed us to use these photographs and clippings of Eric; we see him with the Hartley's Dray and in his club blazer and whites when with Lindal Moor Cricket Club. The Evening Mail's piece on Eric's passing in 1994 gives  Eric's estimate of the number of pints  brewed during his 44 years with Hartley's. Joyce gave us the Video of the last day at Hartley's, which you can find on an earlier post. She also gave us a mysterious and unreadable disc of other  video, which our good friend Neil Wade has opened and fo...

 Many of you will know Dennis Metcalfe and his photographs of the town and its environs. Dennis was recently invited onto the Brewery site and has kindly allowed us to use his photographs.  Here are a sample, and there will be more over the next few weeks. Many thanks Dennis. 

We have some marvellous material for you today...Eric Simpsons daughter Joyce has very kindly allowed us to upload this video of the last days Brewing at the Hartley's site, and the dismantling of the equipment. You'll see Eric himself doing the introductions, and then we go into the building...many of you will see some familiar faces and places, and it'll bring a lump to a few throats..  I'll say no more than that, in the hope that the film will stir a few memories and promote some good discussions. Get in touch with us with your thoughts.  Here are a few stills to be going on with, and the link to the film is in green below. If you have any problems with it, let me know. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oEOR2ZYJ9IluDFRB60LtFGHBOoMfQK92/view?usp=sharing For other memories of the Brewery, have a listen to our Oral History pages, the latest addition is fascinating talk from Harry Wilson, former Maintainance Electrician at Hartley's.   https://soundcloud.com/homebrew-...