GOLDEN LION
60 Canal Walk.
Brewing Started 1860
Acquired Slaters Brewery 1861
Brewing ceased 1870s
The 1861 Directory lists R Taylor, brewer and spirit merchant at Upper Back of Walls, and R Taylor a brewer, wine and spirit merchant at the Golden Lion Upper Canal. The Golden Lion was close to Slaters brewery, (see my Slater’s Brewery page). Richard Taylor took over Slaters’, as confirmed in newspapers of 4th August 1860 with a notice headed “Brewery (Late Slater’s) back of Walls Southampton”. Richard Taylor having taken the above brewery is now supplying families with pure and genuine ales in small casks at 1s, 1s 4d, and 2s a gallon. Porter and stout, 1s, 1s 4d, and 1s 8d per gallon, and bottled stout 5s per dozen quarts, 3s per dozen pints”.
There is a further entry in the 1861 directory; Richard Taylor, brewer, 10 Blechynden Terrace’. Perhaps Taylor moved from Blechynden Terrace to run the brewery and pub business here. The overall picture is not certain but it seems more than likely that William Slater Snr owned the freehold of the brewery and the Golden Lion. When he died, much, if not all, of his properties passed to his youngest son and leases were granted on the malthouse to Coopers, and other parts to Scrase’s brewery. There was also lease of the Golden Lion, possibly granted to Richard Taylor, on his acquisition, or perhaps before. It seems likely that the Slaters plant was used for brewing, and to supply the Golden Lion. There is frequent reference to “Golden Lion brewery” but this may have just been a rebranding for the whole business, similar to the Bitterne Brewery, which did brew long ago, but the name remained after brewing ceased.
In April 1861, Richard Taylor was charged with permitting drunkenness in the Golden Lion. A PC visited the house at 11.30 pm and found 9 common prostitutes, some of them drunk, and “others the worse for liquor” and 13 men in the same state. Someone threw the pot of a tobacco pipe at the PC. Taylor was fined 40s and costs.
In the Hampshire Advertiser of 16 August 1862, there appears an auction notice for a sale in 2 lots of the brewery and malthouse, and leases, on the premises of the Golden Lion Canal Walk. Also, the beneficial lease held on the Golden Lion brewery with dwelling and licensed house, also the lease of the malt house and stabling now in the occupation of Cooper and Kent.
On the same page of this newspaper is a notice; ‘Back of Walls East Street, Golden Lion brewery late Slater’s. A 300 gallon copper, a 250 gallon copper, and two smaller ones with discharge cocks, Liquor back, and two force pumps, 500 ft of lead and copper pipes, a 5 Quarter Mash Tun (about 720 gallons per brew) and iron bottom, 4 working Squares, Underback, two large coolers each 16ft by 10ft, two 17ft iron bound Stillions, four 12ft Stillions and three 10 ft. A Hop Back with strainer, and regulation malt mill by Pontifex. nine 20 bv (barrel vats), four 30, bv one 50bv, one 60bv four 70 bv and eleven 25 bv. 159 casks in various sizes.’
Coopers brewery had a lease on the store area of the Old Bond Store. Slater’s was also a 5 Quarter plant, so it does appear that Taylor acquired the whole brewing business, under a lease (or perhaps sub lease) of the Old Bond Store (see Slater’s Brewery page for more details) as well as the Golden Lion.
A week later of 23rd August there is advertised the sale of the “valuable plant and rolling stock of the Golden Lion brewery” comprising most of the above. It seems the sale was not a success as in March 1863 there is a further advert for the sale of the Golden Lion and pub and brewery, and separately, reference to ‘the superior fittings of the above. Counters, an eight pull beer engine, two 8 tap spirit fountains, furniture, eight 20 bv, one 50, one 60, four 30 and eleven 25 gal vats. Also Two coolers, mash tub etc.’ Perhaps some of the equipment had been sold earlier.
That sale seems to have had some success as in April 1863 the licence of the Golden Lion was transferred from Richard Taylor to Henry King. By 1865, a directory entry shows ‘Henry King Innkeeper Golden Lion 60 Upper Canal Walk’. He is not shown as a brewer (although he was a brewer at the Britannia, see the Britannia page).
Henry King then becomes bankrupt around February 1865. A notice appears in newspapers of 22 July 1865, “In Bankruptcy. Immediate Sale, by order of mortgagee of the, ‘most eligibly situate leasehold property in the very centre of the town of Southampton, haying a frontage of 107 feet in the Back-of the-Walls, running parallel with the High Street, 103 feet through to a frontage of about 27 feet in the best business part of the Canal Walk, Southampton, comprising thereon the Golden Lion Inn, so many years celebrated for the sale of Slaters beer, and where a most successful business may be still carried on, having a large smoking room, store or skittle-alley, and stable at the rear, with convenient cellarage, extending the entire frontage of 107 feet” There were also five recently erected cottages, a most substantially built eight room dwellinghouse. The whole under a lease for twenty-one years, from 25th March, and subject to a yearly rent of £80.
By 1867 John Killy is the innkeeper as he was up until 1876. On 11th July 1883, John Baptiste Killy died at Hampton Court Brewery Bar aged 56.
On 24th April 1878, there appears the Obituary for Rev Joseph Slater, at Southsea. “The son of a brewer of this town” (Southampton) aged 39. On 5th Oct that year was a report of an ‘important property sale’ from his estate. Lots were principally of beer houses and shops in Upper Canal Walk. The leasehold Malthouse and yard at Back of Walls occupied by Coopers brewery was sold to Mr Scrase for £860. The Golden Lion sold for £710 to Mr Watts.
Is it possible that there were four breweries within a short distance in Canal Walk; Slaters (Golden Lion), Hughes & Co, Canal Walk Brewery, and the Horseshoe Inn.