Joshua Tetley & Son Ltd, Brewers, Leeds (WYL756)
c1804 - 1995
Gone But Not Forgotten
1956 Preparing for the morning deliveries
The Shire Horses were the pride of Tetley’s, and are well deserving of a special mention here. Loved by everyone, they were a symbol of the brewery and played an integral part in the daily running of the company. Deliveries were not their only job, they were also used in adverts and promotional material, and regularly visited horse shows, winning many trophies over the years.
There was a time when the Shire horse was in danger as more and more breweries sold off their horses, but Tetley’s remained true to these gentle giants with their individual personalities. It took a lot of work to get the beloved horses ready for an event, up to 4 days were spent in preparation for a really big show. Hours were devoted to washing, brushing, combing and of course plaiting their manes, but it was also a full time job in the harness room where everything was cleaned and polished 5 days a week. Records show us the quantities of beer they would deliver, as well as the food they were fed, with meadow hay, feeding treacle and black oats being just a few of the ingredients, sourced from around the world.
The drays were used to deliver the barrels to breweries all around Leeds and were only retired in 2006, to the dismay of everyone. It was a sight to see them making their deliveries, and a sight that everyone loved – when suggested in the 1970s that they should be banned from the roads for causing traffic problems the papers were flooded with letters in favour of the horses, many suggesting the cars should go instead!
There was a time when the Shire horse was in danger as more and more breweries sold off their horses, but Tetley’s remained true to these gentle giants with their individual personalities. It took a lot of work to get the beloved horses ready for an event, up to 4 days were spent in preparation for a really big show. Hours were devoted to washing, brushing, combing and of course plaiting their manes, but it was also a full time job in the harness room where everything was cleaned and polished 5 days a week. Records show us the quantities of beer they would deliver, as well as the food they were fed, with meadow hay, feeding treacle and black oats being just a few of the ingredients, sourced from around the world.
The drays were used to deliver the barrels to breweries all around Leeds and were only retired in 2006, to the dismay of everyone. It was a sight to see them making their deliveries, and a sight that everyone loved – when suggested in the 1970s that they should be banned from the roads for causing traffic problems the papers were flooded with letters in favour of the horses, many suggesting the cars should go instead!
Horse drawn transport wagons in the brewery c1900
The horses also played an instrumental part in another aspect of Tetley’s, the Leeds Rifles Volunteer Corps. As these horses could pull up to three times their own weight they were an extremely useful mode of transport for artillery and supplies, and were called upon by the authorities to be taken into service during the First World War.
The volunteer force was officially called the 7th Yorkshire, West Riding, (Leeds) Rifle Volunteer Corps, and the Tetley brewery played an important role as they provided many men, as well as commanding officers and honorary colonels. The records of the Leeds Rifles, Quartermaster Sergeant's Chest (1859-1938) are contained within the collection, and list the officers of the company, as well as the rules set out, such as that their uniforms and rifles were to be paid for by the volunteers themselves.
The full Tetley’s collection has the vast business records of the brewery, including mechanics’ notebooks relating to the brewing process, day books, experiment books, ‘Brewed and to Brew’ books, as well as staff records. View the collection on our online catalogue under finding number WYL756.
The volunteer force was officially called the 7th Yorkshire, West Riding, (Leeds) Rifle Volunteer Corps, and the Tetley brewery played an important role as they provided many men, as well as commanding officers and honorary colonels. The records of the Leeds Rifles, Quartermaster Sergeant's Chest (1859-1938) are contained within the collection, and list the officers of the company, as well as the rules set out, such as that their uniforms and rifles were to be paid for by the volunteers themselves.
The full Tetley’s collection has the vast business records of the brewery, including mechanics’ notebooks relating to the brewing process, day books, experiment books, ‘Brewed and to Brew’ books, as well as staff records. View the collection on our online catalogue under finding number WYL756.
|
Twitter Flickr CataBlog Facebook WYAS Online Catalogue
All material contained on the Treasures of the West Yorkshire Archive Service website is subject to copyright and remains the property of the owner(s). Material cannot be recorded, copied, or redistributed without the permission of the copyright holder(s). Contact us for more information. |
