This large Georgian property was to become part of The Westgate Brewery.
The Humphreys
In 1780, William Humphrey (Snr) bought land in Scuttery Fields in 1780 to build some malthouses. The brewery itself was installed on the adjoining site, where today’s no. 52 had stood as a dwelling house since about 1750: the date inscribed on the building is 1751.
By 1793 Willliam Humphrey Snr held the brewery lease, but it was his sons William (Jnr.) and Edward who took their brewing very seriously, drawing up articles of co-partnership in that year (1793). They bought the brewery freehold, including no. 52, from John Dearling in 1814 and gradually built up a sizeable estate of tied houses. Their biggest expansion took place between 1810 and 1820, when new maltings were built along with the big cellar, and a Fenton steam engine was installed.
Towards the end of the 1820s William and Edward Humphrey decided to retire. George and Robert Henty were then young men in their twenties and interested in starting up a business. Their father – a banker from Ferring – started the proceedings to buy the business for his two sons from the Humphrey brothers in 1827. However, George Henty senior died in 1830 before the details of the sale were finally completed. By 1830, when the business was sold to the Henty brothers, there were some 50 public houses tied to the brewery, and the Henty brothers George and Robert continued with their plans for the purchase, which was completed in that year (1830).
The brewery itself and some 50 other properties were purchased for £82,000. About half of this was met with a mortgage paid off over 10 years.
In 1833, George and Robert had deeds of co-partnership drawn up. They continued to work together until 1855. Robert then decided he wanted to travel the world, so they dissolved the partnership, and George bought him out for £22,473.
George Henty
George continued to run the business until his death in 1888. During this time, the estate of tied public houses doubled in size. Some had been acquired as part of the marriage settlement when George married Maria Hector. Public houses were added in Petersfield when the Spain Brewery was purchased in 1848.
George and Maria Henty had at least four children. Douglas and Charles Percival, known as C.P. were keen to join the family business and, when they joined in 1874, the firms name was changed to George Henty & Sons. They continued to run the business after the death of their father.
In George’s will the brewery had been left to Douglas and C.P. but another brother Walter, also had a rather ambiguous interest. He took legal advice and eventually a settlement was reached, but not without a lot of bad feeling. Afterwards Douglas and C.P. refused to communicate directly with Walter.
In 1889 Douglas and C.P. had deeds of co-partnership drawn up. About the same time, they bought George Gatehouse’s brewery business in Southgate and an estate of at least 30 additional public houses. The partnership between the two brothers only lasted until 1892, when Douglas died at the age of 54. He left his half share of the brewery to his widow Julia. They had no children. The following year the firm was registered as a public limited company.
Henty & Constable
C.P. Henty continued at the helm until his death in 1920. The firm then merged with that of G.S. Constable and Son Ltd. of Littlehampton and Arundel, and the name became Henty and Constable (Brewers) Ltd. The first chairman of this company was Col. O.P. Seracold C.M.G.
In 1927 Richard Henty joined the firm. He was the last member of the Henty family connected with Westgate. Richard died of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 1954, while travelling aboard the R.M.S. Queen Mary. The business was sold and brewing ceased at Westgate in 1955. The site was reduced to that of a distribution depot, which finally closed in 1979, following a large fire which destroyed its buildings and the chimney which had been a landmark for many years.
Meanwhile the house, our No 52, had been bought by the Chichester Theological College, which opened there in 1909. They remained there until they moved their operation to 3 Westgate in 1946.
No 52 is now the offices of Mercers, a very large pension company which is a major employer in the city and (they say) looks after one in eight of UK private pensions.