ROYAL YORK HOTEL
52 Above Bar Street
Was York Hotel, Coach & Horses
Started Brewing Circa 1856
Ceased brewing 1860
According to Tony Gallagher’s book, Southampton’s Inns and Taverns, this was originally the Coach & Horses, then Palace Bars. The bar for the Palace Theatre changed its name in the 1830s to the Royal York Hotel.
George Quick was the proprietor of the York Hotel. He was a member of the Quick brewing family but there is no evidence of brewing here at this time. In 1839 he is listed in the directory as being at the Coach and Horses Hotel, and in 1843 and 1845 at the Royal York Hotel. The Hampshire Independent of 11th July 1840 carries an announcement that his neighbour John White had retired from the position of Postmaster and that George had now been appointed as Postmaster to the Queen. In consequence, he announced that his old and well known establishment known as the York Hotel would be now known as the Royal York Hotel instead. In adverts in March 1843, the hotel also confirms in adverts that it was “formerly the Coach & Horses”.
An Interesting fact. In November 1845, two elephants that were part of a travelling menagerie were ‘domiciled’ in Mr Quick’s stables at the Royal York Hotel for 2 or 3 days en route to Paris, and “One is a female of enormous bulk, the other a young male”.
In the Hampshire Advertiser of 10th January 1846, George Quick thanks the public for supporting him at the business for upwards of 20 years. He lists improvements, but with no mention of brewing. George Quick died on 5th May 1846, and by June 1846 the Royal York Hotel was to be sold as part of the administration of his estate. This was for the lease and goodwill of the business including 30 bedrooms, sitting rooms, coffee and commercial rooms, and “the best retail liquor shop and smoking room in the County”, stabling, a coachhouse and tap. In August 1856, the licence was transferred to James Quick, as executor for his father, but at the next licensing session it was to be transferred to John White, presumably the neighbour mentioned earlier.
In February 1854 there appears an advert for the sale of a 45 Hogshead store cask, apply to Mr White, Royal York Hotel. I had to look at this a few times. One Hogshead would have been about 45 gallons, so he had storage for over 2,000 gallons on site, with a 5 Quarter brewery (see later), which seems wrong. However, this may have been a ‘typo’ and the sale was of a (single) 45-gallon Hogshead. Does the sale of a large hogshead suggest he was brewing here?
In the Hampshire Advertiser of 13th September 1856, there is an advert for their India pale ale, free from bitter but possessing the fine aroma of hop in 9 and 18 gallons, 36 gallons and hogsheads, with carriage paid to any railway station or wharf within one hundred miles. Cole and Harriott Royal York brewery Southampton. All this points to brewing by 1856.
Henry Dennet Cole was a brewer of Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight, and in 1851 he assigned debts to a trustee, so he clearly had financial issues. The 1856 directory shows, Cole and Harriott as brewers, and by 1857, just Thomas Harriott appears as a brewer at Mona Cottage Bedford Place. This was because the business did not survive for long. In the Hampshire Advertiser of 22nd November 1856 there is a notice of dissolution in respect of the partnership subsisting between Henry Dennett Cole and Thomas Harriott as brewers in the town of Southampton under the firm of Cole & Company and “Cole and Harriott”. This was dissolved by mutual consent. All debts were to be paid by Henry Dennett Cole who would continue the business as from 21st November 1856.
The 1857 directory shows H D Cole at Above Bar as brewer, and in February 1857, he advertised for sale, stale porter, 25 barrels at 7d a gallon, from the Royal York Brewery. Business clearly expanded and prospered as in the Hampshire Advertiser of 22nd August 1857, there is a further notice whereby H D Cole of Royal York Brewery informed the public that due to increased demand for his pale and bitter ales, he had taken in to partnership Mr C L Hider late of London and for many years’ resident in India. The new name was to be Cole and Hider India Pale and Bitter Ale brewers Southampton.
The 1859 Forbes directory shows Cole & Hider at the Royal York Brewery Above Bar, but by 1859 and 1861, Henry Cole is at St Lawrence Road as a Hotel keeper, not a brewer. As will be seen from the Shirley Mills brewery page, Cole and Hider were brewers there from 1857 to 1861. In July 1858, they are described as brewers and bottlers, and in October 1858 they advertised “October brewings” of pale, and bitter ale for families and trade. In November 58 they were was described as a “Pale Ale Brewery”.
They were operating from both the hotel, and Shirley. In 1859 they advertised the sale of Findlater & Co’s Imperial Dublin stout in its store. They also gave notice that the first pocket of the New Kent hops had been purchased by them and they were “the earliest arrival since 1818”. In January 1860 Cole & Hider’s East India pale ale was advertised in casks of 9 gallons and upwards from Cole & Hider Pale Ale Brewery Old Shirley and Southampton. In July 1860, in a libel case, it was said that William Tucker had been a cooper with them for about 2 years, at Southampton then Shirley.
In the Hampshire Independent of 21st January 1860 there appears an advert for Cole & Hider’s East India Pale Ale in casks of 9 gallons and upwards, Cole & Hider Pale Ale Brewery Old Shirley and Southampton. It seems that there was a transition period when they were at both sites, and in June 1861 there was anotice for sale by auction of 300 hogsheads and firkin beer casks all new within 3 years, at the Royal York brewery yard. Also for sale was a four-wheel dray, a 5 quarter mash tub, (about 720 pints per brew) and two 13 barrel working rounds. The owner was giving up the export trade, and viewing was to be on the morning of the sale, and before then at Old Shirley Brewery. Note the reference to a 5 quarter mash tub. The Shirley Mills brewery operated an 8 quarter mash tub, so the Royal York mash tun was presumably moved to Shirley for sale, suggesting brewing had ceased here in 1860
In April 1860, an advert announced that Cole & Hider had reopened their offices at Above Bar and were selling Cole & Hider’s pale ale and mild ale in casks of any size. “also for invalids and all persons wishing a truly delicate ale their Tonic Ale……possessing great restorative qualities and pronounced by the celebrated Dr Letheby the first analysist in the country, to be unadulterated pure and
thoroughly fermented and calculated to agree with the most delicate stomach”. Orders were from the brewery, Old Shirley, or their reopened offices. In September 1860 there was notice they had closed the Above Bar offices, and also that a store was wanted near the docks and railway for storing ale and stout.
The lease was also coming to an end, and we see in the Hampshire Independent of 20th October 1860 an auction notice for the sale of the five quarter brewery and effects as the lease had expired. Included in the sale was a mash tub with a new cast iron false bottom, store vats from 2 1/2 to 27
barrels, 13 barrel working rounds, liquor and hop backs, underback, hoses, hogsheads and dry casks, a new liquor pump, patent malt mill, 36 doz bottle rack, a false bottom for the copper, a malt screen, copper sparger and a pocket and half of old hops. Clearly there had been no sale earlier in the year.
On 29 December 1860 the Hampshire Independent carries a notice saying “that the partnership heretofore subsisting between the undersigned, Henry Dennett Cole, Christian Legget Hider, and Henry Richard Hooper, at Shirley, in the County of Southampton, in the business of brewers, and
carried on under the style or form of Cole & Hider was as and from the 30th November last dissolved by mutual consent; and in future the business will be carried on by the said Henry Richard Hooper, on his separate account, who will also pay and receive all debts owing from and to the said partnership in the regular course of trade”. The branch of the late partnership business in Botolph Lane, in the City of London, was to be carried on by the said Christian Leggett Hider on his separate account. This was dated 12.12.1860.
This partnership clearly had encompassed a number of businesses, including the Royal York Hotel and Shirley Mills brewery, and they went their separate ways to pursue separate interests. The 1861 Forbes directory continues to show Messrs Cole & Hider as brewers at Shirley brewery Old Shirley, but by the 1863 PO directory the listing is for Henry R Hooper at the brewery Old Shirley.
This is a little confusing as in the Hampshire Independent of 14th September 1861, notice was given that Henry Richard Hooper brewer of Shirley had assigned all his estate to George Mannings of Downton, a miller and maltster and William Mew of Newport, brewer, upon trust for the benefit of Hooper’s creditors, who were invited to make a claim. (A Henry Richard Hooper was also a solicitor in Newport Isle of Wight, but appears to be Unconnected). It may be right that brewing ceased at about this time.
According to Tony Gallagher’s book, ‘Southampton’s Inns and Taverns’, the hotel became a full time music hall in 1872, and the original building was demolished in 1890, and replaced with a purpose built theatre.