Those of a certain age will no doubt remembering their name emblazoned on top of the Brewery Stand. Seems like their naming right to the stadium in Huddersfield is no more. Probably no chance of getting naming rights at Oakwell given that BFC's preferred drinks supplier is Molson Coors.
Aye me too. The first pint I ever bought in a pub was in the No 7 in Barnsley and it was a pint of Barnsley Bitter. It was a sad day when John Smiths bought it and immediately stopped brewing Barnsley Bitter, replacing it with John Smiths Bitter - a vastly inferior product in my opinion.
Me too. I had one of the last pints of Barnsley Bitter to be sold. The Keel Inn took delivery of the last barrels to leave the Brewery if I recall correctly. My first pints were in the Kendray Hotel and the Turf Tavern in Doncaster which was close to Coal House where I worked.
John Smiths actually bought Barnsley Brewery in 1961 and were quite happy to have their subsidiary making good money, the problem came when John Smith's were taken over by Courage of London who were buying breweries and their pubs everywhere and were then taken over themselves by Imperial Tobacco in 1972, who were basically asset strippers with no interest in beer, other than foisting low quality p**s on a now captive audience. The moment Imperial Tobacco took control the writing was on the wall for Oakwell, over the next three years they degraded the quality of Barnsley Bitter ( disgruntled employees leaked it to the Chronicle) and closed it in 1976.
Are you sure it was the No.7? In the late 60s and early 70s the No.7 was definitely a Charringtons pub, selling Toby Bitter.
We are missing a treat being skint and not selling stadium naming rights. We'd all call it Oakwell still anyway.
I remember Patrick Cryne saying he would never be interested in selling stadium naming rights. "Some things are more important than money", was his comment.
It may have sold Stones' at some point, but between 1967 and 1972 it was definitely Charrington's, and nothing else, on draught. Gerald Henderson, a very good dart thrower, was landlord then. I say "draught", though it wasn't real ale, of course. The beer arrived in a big tanker and was pumped into the cellar.
Stones was owned by Bass Charrington, Toby Ales also being one of their trademarks....so the No7 would have sold Stones and probably Toby Light and Worthington 'E' at the same time, although there was a period when Stones was taken off the bar as Bass Charrington intended to kill it off and replace it with Brew 10 ( or 11).
Exactly as I remember it. I also recall Roy Mason joining a march through the town, at which protesters chanted, "Save Barnsley Bitter! Save Barnsley Bitter!"
I detect some scorn for John Smith's bitter. For those of an open mind, a very fine example of it is available at the Waggon and Horses at Oxspring.
It is a long time ago. I was 16 so it would have been 1972 (it was the first time I ordered a beer at the bar, definitely in the No 7) but you might be right about the beer. The first pint I ever drank in a pub (it was bought for me, I think I might have been 15 and too chicken to go to the bar) was in the Collingwood Hotel, Bolton on Dearne - that was definitely Barnsley Bitter.
Barnsley Bitter in the Centenary Rooms for me. Pleasant enough drink (in halves) for a very obviously under-age group of us.
Barnsley Bitter for me in The Miners Rest at Old Town and The Fitzwilliam on Sackville Street. Still have an original beer mat and ashtray.
It depends on the year, but the Centenary rooms only sold keg ( if I remember rightly), which was usually John Smiths version supplied from Tadcaster .
