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01-11-2018, 09:20
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All pictures and text from*Guinness Time, Autumn 1959.
“Guinness have, in the past four years, been privileged to take part in a project which has now resulted in the opening of a new public house which, both in its physical layout and in the method of its planning, exhibits several new features.”
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/exterior_grill.jpgThe exterior of Hilltop.“The new pub is called*Hilltop , and is in the South End neighbourhood of Hatfield New Town. It is owned and operated by Messrs. McMullens of Hertford, and it came into being after a most unusual piece of co-operation.”
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ale_garland.jpg“Once the ale was pronounced good the Ale Garland was hoisted.”“It began when we found that the Hatfield Development Corporation had no public funds available to provide the meeting place it had planned for the new population of this rapidly growing neighbourhood. The central site which had been reserved for this community centre would remain empty and the only social building would be a small public house which could not be expected to meet all the needs of the locality. We thought this situation offered a wonderful opportunity for an experiment.”
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/bar_scene.jpg“The busy scene in the Saloon Bar after the official opening.”“We approached the Corporation and asked them if they would consider permitting a brewer to provide the amenities they had planned to include in their community centre. They agreed. We asked Messrs. McMullens if they would consider expanding the plans of the public house they were to build in the neighbourhood to provide these amenities, and they readily agreed.”
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cafe_interior.jpgThe cafe.https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/childrens_room.jpg“The children, too, had free drinks (and buns) on opening night.”“Hilltop offers the usual facilities of a pub, three bars and an off-licence where alcoholic refreshment is available during licensing hours. It also has an unlicensed cafe where soft drinks and light meals are served. Then there is a large hall for use as a theatre or for dancing or dinners, and three committee rooms. All these rooms may be attached either to the licensed or unlicensed part of the building… by locking the necessary doors. In additional the Hertfordshire Health Authorities have two rooms allotted to them in which they run a local Health Clinic.”
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/skiffle_group.jpg“A local skiffle group entertains customers on opening night.”Notes: Hilltop was designed by Lionel Brett, opened on 11 August 1959, and is still trading as a pub under McMullen’s (https://www.mcmullens.co.uk/harrier), albeit renamed The Harrier. Here’s how it looks today:

Hilltop, “a new venture in public houses”, 1959 (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/11/hilltop-a-new-venture-in-public-houses-1959/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)


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