Gothenburg Public House System

The Gothenburg or Trust Public House system originated in the 1860s in Gothenburg, Sweden, in an attempt to control the consumption of spirits. Earlier in the century, 34 litres annual per capita consumption of spirits was recorded in Sweden. In 1855 the country proscribed domestic distillation. The city of Gothenburg awarded its sole retail licence for spirits to a trust, with the aim of controlling consumption. The shareholders of the trust were to receive a maximum return of 5% annually and all other profits were to be used to benefit the local community. The town treasury was to control the income generated and use it to provide libraries, museums, parks and other community facilities. The success of the system led to its spread throughout Sweden and further afield.

In Scotland

In Scotland, pubs run under the Gothenburg system are often colloquially known as "Goths". and it took hold, particularly in coal mining communities, where mining companies had previously opposed the granting of pub licences. Examples of facilities and beneficiaries funded by the system included libraries, museums, parks, bowling and cricket grounds and pavilions, cinemas, community centres or 'Gothenburg halls' and grants to galas, charities, clubs and societies and for the funding of district nurses and ambulances. and The Gothenburg in Fallin, Stirling, are still run under the Gothenburg system. The Goth in Armadale was built in 1901 and extensively remodelled in 1924; it serves as a landmark on the Main Street of the town and consists of a stone frontage with an Art Nouveau public clock tower. == In England ==

In England

Joseph Chamberlain took an interest in the Gothenburg system and proposed a version of it to a Parliamentary Select Committee on Intemperance in 1877. This did not gain momentum but the issue was raised again in the 1890s by the Bishop of Chester, Francis Jayne, who wrote letters to The Times and published articles on the subject. He also founded the People's Refreshment House Association Limited. His ideas were not approved of by the Church of England Temperance Society who were hostile to the idea of "working men" having improved pubs and encouraged them to make home and family the focus of their leisure time. As well as Jayne's association, which had 130 establishments, there was a similar "Gothenburg-inspired" group called the Central Public House Trust Association, which owned about 250 "trust houses" in England and Wales by 1914. ==Cultural references==

Cultural references

The Number One Goth in Cardenden was referenced by Ian Rankin as the first pub in which his character John Rebus bought a round of drinks. Parts of Irvine Welsh's novella Kingdom of Fife are set in the New Goth in Cowdenbeath. The pub in the fictional village of Newton of Wemyss in A Darker Domain by Val McDermid was formerly a Goth. ==See also==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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