Southwick - The D-Day Village That Went to War
Extract from "Southwick - The D-Day Village That Went
to War" by Geoffrey O'Connell
Although
is was not unusual for a pub to go "hand in flagon" with a small
brewery in days of yore, it is almost unique to find the original building
and implements still wholly intact. In the case of the Golden Lion, beer was
brewed as recently as 1956/57, when the last brewmaster, Dick Olding, finally
retired and his employer W. J. Hunt sold the business to Courage's. Mr Olding,
81 years old in 1957 and whose family had lived in the village for several
centuries would appear to have been the 'master of proceedings' since 1906.
'Old Dick' as he was fondly known, was well loved by one and all and (surprising)
was a strict teetotaller. Despite this, if required, he would help behind
the bar. He was well remembered for wearing a trilby on 'best dressed days'
and for 'journeying' on an old 'JAP' motorbike. Dick Olding used to produce
sufficient brew for the tenants of both the Golden and Hunts off licence,
situated in Kingston Road, Portsmouth. Between the Great Wars, two brews were
made, the one known as five shilling and the other as seven shilling - the
beer costing 5d and the ale 7d a pint. Yes, a pint, which in modern money
would be about 2p and 3p! When Dick's bad leg played up, Mr Yoxall, a Hunt's
employee from Portsmouth, travelled to Southwick to give him a hand. Brothers
Fred and Tom Carter, members of a well known village family, were amongst
the 'dedicated Dick Olding assistants'. Apart from the Carters' appreciation
of a good pint, their involvement probably owed much to their strength.
A
"brewing" took place about every three months and required some
six to eight 2cwt (approximately 100kg) sacks of hops up, passed the first
floor to the loft and the grist mill. In addition, coal for the boiler had
to be loaded and the spent grain removed for cattle feed. Naturally all the
equipment, such as the mill, copper, casings, mash tun, tanks, coolers, fermenting
vats and barrels had to be cleaned and prepared. Despite the need for the
helping hand of "muscle", "Old Dick" oversaw the various
processes by himself, taking his secrets and tricks of the trade to the grave
with him. It is said, the odour was such that anyone entering the village
with the slightest sense of smell would realise a "brew" was underway.
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