Harveys
by dray
Winston and Monty’s mothers were
full sisters but they share the same
dad making them cousins as well as
half brothers. Their proud owner, Adie
Matthews, of The Maple Leaf Carriage
Company, at Hellingly, said the young
horses still have a lot of growing to do
although they are already over 18 hands.
At the moment the horses weigh about
one tonne each but they will fully mature
when they are seven-years-old and they
are already attracting a lot of attention
around the town.
Adie said: “I named Winston after a friend
of mine who was a very well-respected
local heavy horse man who sadly passed
away the year Winston was born. Winston
was born first and Monty came along two
weeks later. My son named him.”
It’s not just the horses who get the
attention when they are out delivering the
beer. Barney the Patterdale terrier-cross
who sits on the back of the dray gets
plenty of pats and even a sausage from
the staff at The Snowdrop each time he
visits. He is always around the horses,
loves being outside and is totally at
peace among the kegs.
Lewes comes to a standstill when people
spot the horses and they attract a lot of
attention, I don’t think I’ve ever had so
many cameras, iPads and mobile phones
pointed in my direction and felt quite
bashful initially but when you’re parading
round a town on a dray with horses and a
dog, you’re going to get noticed.
There are many reasons to love Lewes
and, Harveys, the local brewery,
arranging delivery of their kegs of beer by
pure-bred shire horses and dray cart is
another classic example.
Originally, the idea was thought up by
the brewery to mark the auspicious visit
of The Queen and Prince Philip but it
proved so popular that it has been an
ongoing weekly treat – and not just
in Lewes but in other areas including
Brighton, Eastbourne and at various
events including The Heathfield Show.
One of Harveys Managing Directors,
Hamish Elder, explained the concept
behind the idea: “In October last year, we
were honoured to have to Her Majesty,
The Queen, and HRH, The Duke of
Edinburgh, visit the brewery . We chose
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this occasion to launch our new dray cart,
working alongside Maple Leaf Carriages
who provide and drive the heavy horses.
We purchased our dray cart back in
September and had a month to prepare
it with Harveys livery in time for the Royal
visit to our brewery.”
The cart was taken around Lewes in front
of a large crowd awaiting the Queen’s
arrival. The shires were beautifully
groomed and dressed in Royal colours.
The dray carried Harveys casks
decorated with ‘God Save The Queen’
and ‘Elizabethan Ale’ on them.
Hamish added: “The popularity of the cart
soon became apparent and we decided
to embark on a contract with Maple Leaf
Carriages to have our dray tour around
Lewes every Friday for ten weeks, from
November 22. Routes normally start
from the brewery and include the White
Hart, Rights of Man, Brewers Arms,
John Harvey Tavern, Gardener’s Arms,
Snowdrop Inn and The Dorset.”
The popular shires, named Monty and
Winston also starred in the launch of
Lewes Late Night Shopping on December
5, alongside wine expert Olly Smith. The
dray then went on to deliver Christmas
wreaths to the local pubs and Town Hall.
There was definitely a very relaxed
atmosphere when I arrived at the
brewery depot in Daveys Lane and I’m
introduced to the two magnificent horses
that are just having a graze from a hay
bag before their unenviable task of
pulling three adults and a number of kegs
of beer up and down the hilly town.
I was lucky enough to catch up with
my favourite pair a few weeks later in
Brighton. For April, it was a very warm
day, the Easter holidays and therefore
heaving. I watched them proudly trotting
up Madeira Drive, pulling up just before
the Brighton Wheel. There was a lot
more going on (chaos) than in Lewes
but the horses still seemed to be
enjoying their tasks.
They had been in the city to mark the
launch of the Brighton and Hove Food
Festival at Hotel du Vin. Their usual
route around Brighton takes in The
Waggon and Horses, Ye Olde King
and Queen, Fitzherberts, The Dorset,
The Lord Nelson, The Prince Albert,
Jamie Oliver’s Italian, The Three Jolly
Butchers, The Heart and Hand, The
Ranelagh and The Crown.
Hopefully you will have the pleasure of
witnessing this wonderful spectacle, for it
truly is wonderful.
By Liza Laws
To see where the horses are, visit:
harveys.org.uk/the-brewery/spot-the-dray
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