Splitting Wick
For a quarter of a century the Northern port of Wick had no licensed premises. Dominic Roskrowreports on the
bitter feud that divided the town.
The 28th of May has a special significance in Wick. It was on that date in 1922 that every pub shut its doors and every off licence removed alcohol from its shelves.
And it was that date in 1945 that 25 years of no licence came to an end and the people of the town were permitted to buy liquor one more.
Visit the town today and itâs hard to believe that the folk of this wild and seabattered fishing port turned in on themselves and prohibited the sale of beer and spirits.
Today, with most of the fish long gone and with them the fishing boats, the townâs vast harbour is a desolate and vacant place and the bars nearby are bustle-free. The heart of the town is up at the distillery in the Pulteney area of the town and now theyâre proud of their whisky because it provides a lifeblood that stops the town from dying altogether.
How different it was in the first half of the century, when the Temperance Movement, emboldened by an Act of Parliament that had seen scores of other bans across the country, was to impose on the town of Wick a quarter of a century of prohibition â nearly twice as long as the infamous American one that is known about across the world.
The 20th century had begun with a swelling intolerance towards alcohol and a growing view that only total abstention would remove the blight of drunkenness and alcoholism from society. Restrictions on alcohol sales became the norm during the first world war, and many of the traditional excuses for alcohol consumption .....
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By Dominic Roskrow
Section : Whisky History
Page number : 20
