The end of the cooper

The trade was brewery cooperage and the claim was made as on that day, “the cooperage at Benskin’s Brewery, which has been in existence ever since the brewery opened in 1850, closes down for good.”

Coopering is, of course, the art of cask and barrel making and the cooper’s craft had been dying for some years, thanks to technological advances.

The article states: “Between the two world wars Benskin’s employed 12 coopers, but just before the cooperage closed down they had five, all of whom have been given jobs in other parts of the brewery.

“The old, conventional oak casks, which had to be made by hand, are now being replaced by mass-produced machine-made metal casks.

“It is claimed that these metal casks have many advantages. They have greater strength; it is easier to produce casks of uniform capacity; they need virtually no repairing for leakages and it is easier to sterilise a metal cask after use.

“In addition, there is no problem of shrinkage if a metal cask is left dry for any length of time and, in general, they are lighter than wood, which means lower transportation costs and easier handling.

“One reason for the change-over to metal casks is the absence of the right sort of wood for cask making. Russian Memel oak, which is the best and was always used in the past, is now unobtainable.

“The public’s drinking habits also have had something to do with the fall-off of the cooper’s trade. Before the war about 90 per cent of the brewery’s trade was for cask beer and 10 per cent bottled beer. Now, the demand for cask beer has dropped to about 50 per cent, with a corresponding increase in the demand for bottled beers.”

The picture above features two Watford coopers at work in the cooperage at Benskin’s. On the left is Mr F Wilson, who served his apprenticeship at the brewery and who had worked in the cooperage for 38 years; on the right is Mr J Frost, who had been employed with Benskin’s since about 1938.