Thanks for the memory

Few in Oxford will view with anything other than sadness the imminent sale of the city's last brewery and the 132 pubs in the area it has supplied, sometimes for centuries. "Morrells of Oxford" - the words sound right together, suggesting the solid link between the company and the city that has been forged down the years.

The brewery belongs with Oxford marmalade, the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford bags and Oxford shoes in the group of things that have taken the city's fame around the world.

One might add to that list the Oxford accent, heard at its refined best from the mouths of some of the company's well-heeled family members (though not, it has to be said, from the recently deposed boss, the likeable, jazz-loving, dog-loving Charles Eld whose shameful treatment will not easily be forgotten or forgiven).

In truth, the brewery and its pubs have always been places to hear the real Oxford accent - not the clipped precise tones of the smart university types (here today gone after three years) but the gentle burr of the local dialect, in which Magdalen and Cherwell, for instance, are pronounced precisely as they look.

This was the voice of generations of workers clattering in their clogs through St Thomas's for their labours at the Lion Brewery or relaxing with their mates later over well-earned pints in the Air Balloon, the Paviour's Arms, the Running Horses or the Windsor Castle. To this list of long-gone hostelries can be added the names of dozens of other pubs across the county and beyond which are still with us; places that have looked to Morrells not just for the supply of beer - the Oxford Bitter, the Varsity or Graduate - but for the rich assortment of entertainment we expect from a night at the local.

Enthusiastic in its support for darts, for bar billiards and for that peculiarly Oxfordshire pastime of Aunt Sally, Morrells has provided many of the trophies fought for with such enthusiasm by the competing teams. Its involvement with less pub-based sport - soccer, rugby and cricket for instance - should not be forgotten, either.

This is the contribution of a company with its roots firmly in the community which has supplied so much to the area, and to Oxford in particular, in the past - sometimes in most unusual ways.

Walking along Woodstock Road until a year or so ago, you might have noticed loos for the use of the general public at both the Horse and Jockey and, further north, at the Woodstock Arms.

These were provided by a member of the Morrell family who occasionally found himself caught short during the rambles he so enjoyed, and who realised that others must have been finding themselves in the same position.

Mention of the Woodstock Arms reminds me of something that its present landlord, Tony Lane, told me back in 1992. It provides elegant testimony to the esteem in which Morrells is held. He had moved into the pub after a long career as a landlord with Ind Coope Retail (at The King's Arms, in Kidlington, and later the nearby Wise Alderman) because he objected to the unfair leases this brewing giant was insisting on.

"Joining Morrells is like joining a family," he said. "You feel you are treated like a human being and not a number."

Now, of course, it's all numbers, all number-crunching at Morrells whose doom could have been foreseen when accountants - those authors of so much misery - moved in to give their advice.

But whatever remains after the sale, the accountants can't sell our memories. In my case these include many jolly pub reopening parties in the company of such fine men as Col Bill Morrell, Tony Worth and Tom Hall where, the traditional first pint having been pulled, the beer flowed freely (and free!) thereafter.

And, by contrast, I will never forget the final night of the Fountain, in Cardigan Street, Jericho, in the mid-seventies, when I joined landlord Ted Murphy and his thirsty team of regulars in drinking the place completely dry before the bulldozers moved in.

Memories of Morrells will be stirred for future generations, perhaps, not only by the great house of Headington Hill Hall and the nearby South Park, which both formerly belonged to the family, but by a rather less well known memorial to their generosity.

The Victoria Fountain, which stands at the Plain at the entrance to St Clements, was paid for by the Morrell family.

It will be 100 years old next year. If its centenary is celebrated, those present might glance ruefully at the inscription it bears:

"The water drips; the hours go by; be warned, drink, catch them ere they fly."

MANY IDEAS FOR PRIME SITE

Morrells' Lion brewery could be sold for housing, university buildings, offices or entertainment.

The prime site in St Thomas' Street, a residential area just off Park End Street, is, at just under two acres, large enough to be used for several purposes, city planning chiefs said. It is estimated it could be worth £7m.

Mike Ford, Oxford City Council's head of planning policy, said: "The site could have a number of uses.

"There is no provision in the local plan for the Morrells site, but as it is so large it could have a mixed use such as housing, offices, university and commercial uses like shops, restaurants or hotels.

"Any application that supported the council's policies of encouraging people to live in the city centre and creating jobs in the area is likely to be considered sympathetically."

Any application that would attract large numbers of cars - for example, a supermarket or warehouse-type store - would conflict with local planning policies.

Mr Ford added that, because of the long history of Morrells in the area, the city council would be pleased to see it continuing as a brewery.

Planning permission has been granted for two restaurants and a bar/comedy club in Park End Street and Hythe Bridge within the last year.

Oxford University's £45m Said Business School will also be built next to Park End Street and the result of the public inquiry into the proposed Oxpens leisure village - just down the road from the brewery - is anticipated later this year. A MATTER OF WAIT AND SEE

Villagers fear they will lose the heartbeat of their community after Morrells' decision to sell off South Hinksey's only pub.

The General Elliott pub, in Manor Road, has been a village focal point since the 1700s. It became the only pub in the village after the equally historic Cross Keys, also owned by Morrells, was sold off in 1990.

Apart from the pub, which is run by landlord Vic Gordge (ok), the village only has its church, St Laurence, and village hall left as places where the community can gather. The Rev John Davis, vicar at St Laurence for 17 years, said: "A pub and the church are the centres of the community. "It would be tremendously disappointing if it was lost. Vic has played a great part in the community and helps provide a very good service for the village.

"I was in there with two clergymen friends of mine recently and there was a couple in there with their grand-daughter having lunch. It is those families that will lose out. During the winter nights as well, where else would people be able to go? It is not just villagers who will miss out - a lot of people travel from a long way out to visit the pub."

David Wilkins, clerk of South Hinksey Parish Council, said: "It would be a great disappointment if the pub was lost.

"If you haven't got a pub in your village, it makes for a dull place."

He described South Hinksey as a "dormitory" village, which also lost its last village shop in recent years.

Many of the village's residents are commuters or retired couples.

Mr Gordge hopes another brewery will step in to take over the running of the pub but knows there is also a chance it could be closed com- pletely.

He said: "There will be people upset if it closes. It will be a shame not just for the village but for a lot of my regulars who travel from quite far out to come here."

The 57-year-old, who was also landlord of the Cross Keys before it closed, said it was now a case of wait and see.

Regular David Eaton, who runs a barber shop, said: "It's very sad that a long-standing industry is going to close down but it's probably inevitable in this commercial world. I just think it's a shame."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.