Licensed premises in Scotland 1945 - 2009

Every so often I make a little mining expedition to the number-heavy regions of my library. The precious numbers I hew from the rocks are then carefully packaged up into tables. Which I take out and admire periodically.

Or if I'm feeling generous (or abusive, depending on your point of view) I'll show them to family and  friends. "Ooh, isn't that fascinating." Is what they never say. Usually it's "Dad, I'm trying to watch Pointless." "I'm not interested in that crap, Ronald." Though often it's more negative than that.

I'm particularly proud of this table, documenting as it does Scottish on and off licences for the whole postwar period. Well, at least as far as 2009. Taking it any further could be a problem.as the Scottish Executive has stopped publishing the statistics in 2007. Bastards. Don't they realise what an inconvenience to me that is? They did the same once in the past. The figures for 1981 to 1990 are the British Beer and Pub Association's guess.

You may notice something slightly surprising in the numbers:

Licensed premises in Scotland 1945 - 2009
Year	Public houses	Hotels	Pubs & hotels	Restricted Hotels	Restaurants	Restricted Hotels & Restaurants	Registered clubs	Off licences	Total
1945	4,080	1,506	5,586				681	2,188	8,455
1946	4,084	1,565	5,649				740	2,204	8,593
1947	4,103	1,646	5,749				773	2,257	8,779
1948	4,111	1,690	5,801				834	2,313	8,948
1949	4,115	1,709	5,824				884	2,342	9,050
1950	4,118	1,740	5,858				912	2,366	9,136
1951	4,123	1,768	5,891				944	2,380	9,215
1952	4,111	1,770	5,881				966	2,387	9,234
1953	4,134	1,800	5,934				990	2,409	9,333
1954	4,156	1,826	5,982				1,021	2,424	9,427
1955	4,162	1,821	5,983				1,056	2,426	9,465
1956	4,176	1,846	6,022				1,132	2,434	9,588
1957	4,201	1,872	6,073				1,169	2,444	9,686
1958	4,181	1,893	6,074				1,219	2,482	9,775
1959	4,177	1,942	6,119				1,245	2,499	9,863
1960	4,186	1,987	6,173				1,297	2,580	10,050
1961	4,206	2,056	6,262				1,326	2,782	10,370
1962	4,218	2,096	6,314	60	44	104	1,379	2,961	10,758
1963	4,212	2,138	6,350	111	106	217	1,421	3,131	11,119
1964	4,222	2,196	6,418	142	148	290	1,497	3,242	11,447
1965	4,213	2,265	6,478	149	175	324	1,554	3,385	11,741
1966	4,222	2,319	6,541	170	201	371	1,607	3,384	11,903
1967	4,230	2,404	6,634	184	221	405	1,686	3,555	12,280
1968	4,198	2,449	6,647	212	274	486	1,793	3,630	12,556
1969	4,111	2,509	6,620	226	307	533	1,890	3,644	12,687
1970	4,190	2,565	6,755	227	358	585	1,938	3,766	13,044
1971	4,176	2,609	6,785	250	406	656	2,073	3,819	13,333
1972	4,064	2,646	6,710	270	431	701	2,148	3,872	13,431
1973	4,086	2,769	6,855	304	501	805	2,214	4,021	13,895
1974	3,923	2,745	6,668	319	540	859	2,306	4,019	13,852
1975	4,002	2,755	6,757	317	587	904	2,404	4,182	14,247
1976	4,132	2,871	7,003	345	670	1,015	2,398	4,365	14,781
1977	4,192	2,865	7,057	365	713	1,078	2,600	4,446	15,181
1978	4,309	2,990	7,299	393	775	1,168	2,671	4,625	15,763
1979	4,363	2,928	7,291	419	853	1,272	2,594	4,712	15,869
1980	4,472	2,959	7,431	438	921	1,359	2,723	4,899	16,412
1981			7,450			1,400	2,750	5,000	16,600
1982			7,450			1,450	2,800	5,100	16,800
1983			7,450			1,500	2,850	5,200	17,000
1984			7,450			1,550	2,850	5,300	17,150
1985			7,450			1,600	2,825	5,400	17,275
1986			7,450			1,650	2,825	5,550	17,475
1987			7,450			1,700	2,800	5,600	17,550
1988	4,472	2,959	7,450			1,750	2,775	5,650	17,625
1989			7,500			1,800	2,750	5,700	17,750
1990			7,550			1,850	2,700	5,800	17,900
1991	4,828	2,731	7,559	570	1,314	1,884	2,668	5,912	18,023
1992	4,831	2,712	7,543	573	1,333	1,906	2,631	5,933	18,013
1993	4,847	2,665	7,512	564	1,383	1,947	2,594	5,994	18,047
1994	4,880	2,649	7,529	563	1,399	1,962	2,558	6,112	18,161
1995	4,978	2,622	7,600	549	1,446	1,995	2,521	6,268	18,384
1996	5,070	2,616	7,686	581	1,488	2,069	2,484	6,365	18,604
1997	5,267	2,612	7,879	542	1,507	2,049	2,448	6,386	18,762
1998	5,152	2,562	7,714	521	1,500	2,021	2,492	6,337	18,564
1999	5,094	2,524	7,618	532	1,490	2,022	2,501	6,397	18,538
2000	5,080	2,491	7,571	506	1,476	1,982	2,556	6,368	18,477
2001	5,084	2,455	7,539	475	1,473	1,948	2,513	6,336	18,336
2002	5,082	2,424	7,506	484	1,453	1,937	2,526	6,249	18,218
2003	5,122	2,384	7,506	470	1,474	1,944	2,349	6,104	17,903
2004	5,184	2,338	7,522	453	1,489	1,942	2,347	6,341	18,152
2005	5,150	2,261	7,411	422	1,506	1,928	2,338	6,378	18,055
2006	5,177	2,249	7,426	399	1,529	1,928	2,285	6,332	17,971
2007	5,186	2,174	7,360	356	1,514	1,870	2,242	6,232	17,704
2009									16,639
Sources:
1945 - 1959: Statistical Handbook of the BBPA 1988, page 52.
1960 - 1979: Statistical Handbook of the BBPA 2011, page 75.

See what I mean? Apart from a blip in 1974 and 1975 (pretty tough years in the UK - one of the reasons I went to university) the number of pubs and hotels rose slowly but steadily from 1945 to 1980. Since then, the number has been very stable at around 7,500. The increase between 1945 and 1980 was 33%. Which way outstrips any population growth. In 1945 4,640,000 people lived in Scotland. In 1969, 5,180,000.

Why surprising? Because the talk is always about how much pub numbers have declined. Which isn't at all what these numbers show.

Obviously the growth in pub numbers in Scotland postwar is insignificant compared to the surge in off-licence numbers, which nearly trebled in the period covered by the table. That, and the new categories of restricted hotels and restaurants helped to double the total number of licences.


Not all what I would have guessed.