Decline in pub licences 1905 - 1952

I managed to unearth some more figures for pub closures. I though I'd share them with you.

This particular set of figures highlights the forced closures caused by the authorities revoking licences. They appear in the "refused" columns. Pubs that closed for economic reasons are in the "Licences lapsed" column.


The decline was sharpest in the first period covered, almost 7,000 pubs at an average of just under 27 a week. The next five years were barely any better, with over 22 pubs closing each weak. Not much fewer than 12,000 pubs disappeared in just 10 years.

Things aren't quite as bad as that yet. We'll need to wait another 9 years to see if the first decades of the 21st century will be as bad for pubs as those at the start of the 20th century. I hope they aren't.