State Management: Putting Its Stamp Back On Carlisle
In the early 1900s an attempt was made to curb the nation’s drinking habits; what came next radicalised the way social classes mingled. In a century when women wouldn’t dare venture into the dingy and smoky interiors of a pub, the introduction of the Government’s State Management Scheme managed to reinvent the way in which men and women socialised.
Now, almost 100 years later, Carlisle is still home to more than 16 pubs that were trading at the very beginning of the scheme. In homage to the State Management Scheme, keen drinkers are able to pay a visit to one of the 16 pubs which were trading at the start of the scheme.
The Scheme was originally set up in 1916 when it was thought that widespread drunkenness and chaos were harming the war effort in Carlisle and its surrounding areas. Brewing, distribution and the sale of liquor eventually fell into the hands of the government, and the main focus of the project was to control the consumption of alcohol in the city.
Steve Matthews is the owner of Bookcase in Castle Street, Carlisle, where the head office of the former State Management Control Board was once located, Steve said: “We want the exhibition to tell the story over the years, what it was like before and how it changed over the decades. In the past few years we have got all sorts of people coming in and telling us that they remember how it used to be.”
The State Management experiment, brought in by the British Government at the height of World War one, resulted in many of Carlisle’s pubs, breweries and off-licences being shut down before being taken over by civil servants.
The experiment, which also saw the strength of alcohol reduced and opening times restricted, was rolled out across three regions including Cromarty and Enfield as well as Carlisle and Gretna.
This June will see the arrival of permanent exhibitions spread throughout Carlisle’s city centre, Steve said: “We are building up a good collection of pieces. I am particularly proud of the State Management Scheme. It is something that I felt should be done for many years, it has really touched a lot of people’s nerves. The whole project has come from the Carlisle City Business Group and it has been funded with a £50,000 donation by heritage lottery. We have got two big beer barrels, beer mats, beer trays, beer bottles, champagne glasses, and requisition sheets if people wanted a bag of crisps. Everything has the State Management stamp on it; it was all very bureaucratic.”
Last year, there were two exhibitions centred on the works of architect Harry Redfern who designed 15 of the State Management pubs to make them more attractive and family orientated – these included The Border Rambler in Botchergate and The Joiners Arms in Church Street.
Steve said: “The key exhibition will be held in the Cake and Ales which is part of the Bookcase shop. The rooms are all very much the same. This is where the central story will be told, and the pub trail will show all the different pubs. It has a very interesting history.”
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I live in the USA ,I used to work at the old brewery in the offices. I have a set of beer labels (brand new) I was told you may be interested in them.