Comments on: Starkey, Knight and Ford — defunct brewery

By: Guy Sheppard

Guy Sheppard — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:47:37 +0000

Some years ago I met a long retired traveller for Starkey, Knight & Ford of Tiverton; it was very interesting to hear how their sales team (if you could call it that) operated before the advent of reps and telephones.
He had worked for SK&F in the 50s and 60s, so right at the end of the era of the traveller. He would set off from Tiverton and the beginning of the week, taking the train to Dulverton to see all their pubs around there and collect their orders, he would then get the train back to Bampton and do similar there – this involved an overnight stop in one of them, because he would have to walk to outlying pubs (eg Oakford) to collect the orders.
He got back to the brewery late Tuesday afternoon with all the orders and these would be sent out on their lorry Thursday & Friday; an overnight stay also seemed necessary for this as well, although that may have been a hang over from a few years previous when they used a steam wagon and before that dray horses (which were still used in Tiverton itself).
A similar process was repeated elsewhere on Wednesday and Thursday with him being in the office on Friday to complete all his paperwork.
And in the run up to Christmas one of the directors of SK&F would go in to see each of their pubs and assuming that they had done very well that year (a la Mr Grace), he would arrange to send them out a free barrel or two (and I do mean barrels) as reward. Pubcos should take note, reward the pubs that are doing well for you, not use success as an excuse to rack up the rent again.

And on a separate note – the mash tun from Starkey, Knight & Ford is now at Wadworths in Devizes, although I suspect only used very occasionally now with the advent of their new brewhouse

By: john anderson

john anderson — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:30:59 +0000

For those interested in the old Starkey logo, there is a fine example in the Tiverton Museum over the stairwell.

By: john anderson

john anderson — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:38:33 +0000

I am trying to establish the history of an old SKF pub in Halberton, Devon. It used to be the New Inn (for about 150 years!) then became the Welcome Inn and is now “The Barge”. Whitbreads seem to have got rid of it eventually – in 1997 it was acquired by a small owning company. There is currently a Planning Application to pull it down and build houses: the village is trying to fight it, as its the only pub left.
Any information gratefully received……J

By: Sally Peace

Sally Peace — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:43:39 +0000

Hi, does anyone have or know of an old SKF Gin bottle, very ornately decorated with castle turrents etc that I could purchase?
I am the maternal great great grandaughter of Thomas Starkey, and would appreciate some history in my hands as it were!
Please leave a message on here or to medievalmagicclothing@hotmail.com
Many Thanks
Sally

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:57:23 +0000

I have just found an intact marble bottle with the Starkey Knight & Ford logo on it. It is embossed Bridgewater and the horse has a knight riding on it. I was surprised to find an intact marble bottle and have no idea of its original contents. Could anyone help?

By: Bailey

Bailey — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:55:05 +0000

Simon — thanks for that — really interesting to hear those kinds of first hand accounts. There’s something very evocative about the idea of a 1970s draymans’ strike!

By: Simon Foxwell

Simon Foxwell — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:51:46 +0000

My parents kept the York Inn at Churchinford from 1967 to 1985. It was an SKF pub at the time being absorbed into the Whitbread empire.
All the signs were Stakeys with the black horse logo.
The carpark had SK&F boundarymarkers at the corners built into the tarmac and dad used to have to ask the council not to cover them each time they re-did the roads.
I remember as a 6 year old being taken to tiverton to fetch th ebeer in a van during one of the many (1970′s) drayman strikes and also after the 1968 floods.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:57:37 +0000

I have today seen a large framed advert for Fords Brewery showing the black horse ‘ unapproachable’ Therefore this must have been the trademark used when Starkey, Knight and Ford were amalgamated.

By: Ms Lee

Ms Lee — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 01:56:59 +0000

I have dug up a whole range of SKF bottles (amazingly whole) from the various town breweries out of my garden, including one that looks as if it contained gin not beer(?) and fancy ginger beer bottles. I’d Like to find out the dates of all these types, does anyone have any ideas? The gin-looking bottle has a very ornate design embossed, consisting of a castle turret, a knights helm and a river as well as the lettering. It’s quite unlike any of the other designs on the other bottles. Perhaps it’s older?

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:33:52 +0000

Hello there, we found a bottle inside an old wall we had to rebuild in Devon recently. The bottle we found is green and is a SKF bottle – 8 inches high with the label embossed into the glass. It says Starkey, Knight & Ford Ld Paignton Registered Trade Mark and has the horse and also the SKF shield. It looks as if it would have had a cork or whatever else was used to back then. What we’re wondering is when the brewery was in Paignton.