How the deeply private publican behind the Samuel Smith's empire will be remembered

On the rooftop of an imposing red brick factory building, a Union Jack flag flies at half-mast, a sign of respect for the loss of beer baron Humphrey Smith, a public - yet intensely private - figure.

Located in the heart of Tadcaster, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery stands proudly over the North Yorkshire town.

Established in 1758, the business operates about 200 pubs spread across the UK and proudly only stocks its own products.

However, its pubs are perhaps better known for their strict, even eccentric, rules, including a ban on mobile phones, music, televisions and swearing - with the company website branding them "havens from the digital world".

Until this week, the brewery, pubs and rules had been overseen for more than four decades by one man - Humphrey Smith.

After news of his death aged 81 was confirmed on Wednesday, the BBC went to Tadcaster to try and find out what Smith meant to the town his family has helped shape since the 18th Century.

With its tall, thin chimney and fortress-like layout, the brewery is the first stop on a route through the town to piece together the legacy the businessman left.

Walking further down the high street, flanked by sand-coloured buildings, many commercial properties are owned by the brewery, which is a major local landowner.

Melanie's Florist counts itself among the family's numerous tenants.

Working amongst bright floral displays, manager Georgina Platt says Smith had "always been supportive" of the business.

Although she didn't agree "100%" with his views, she admired the fact his decisions appeared to be geared towards bringing people closer together.

"I know he owned a lot and I know he was a big part of the community," she says.

"Everyone feels like a tight-knit community, even though there's not many of us left now."

On his strict policies she comments that "overall it was the right thing to do" to encourage "people to talk rather than being on devices".

"I don't know what [this] means for Tadcaster, future-wise," she adds, although she'd like to see the high street flourish.

Other tenants in town are less inclined to talk, although several say Smith had been "a good landlord" offering fair rent.

At his carpet shop close to the town's leisure centre, Ian Turner has just finished dealing with a customer over the phone.

About what comes next for the brewery business, he says it would "be nice to see The Angel open again" - referencing the Angel and White Horse pub in Bridge Street - though suggests relaxing the rules may be necessary to "open a few more pubs, get some more people in".

A number of the firm's pubs across the UK have stood empty for many years, with reports of managers dismissed at short notice for alleged breaches of the rules.

There have also been tales of patrons falling foul of the rigid policies, including bikers being barred from a premise in Rotherham.

Speaking to BBC Radio York, Tadcaster's mayor Richard Sweeting said Smith was "a man of principle and there would have been a reason for regulations in the pubs".

"A lot of people were quite happy for those regulations because we respected him," he said.

This is a sentiment echoed by Kirsty Poskitt, who represents the town on North Yorkshire Council.

"He is a very intrinsic part of why Tadcaster is like it is today. I think everyone's reflecting on what he has meant to the town," she said.

"He was incredibly private, and I think when people are private it's very easy for others to make up an assumption of what they think that person is like."

A respect for that fiercely guarded privacy can be felt throughout the town - few residents or businesses are willing to talk openly about Smith.

In the Coach and Horses, a pub not owned by the brewery, Dell Marshall is having a drink with his spaniel dog Charlie.

He and his wife moved to Tadcaster six months ago, he explains, but hadn't often been in the Sam Smith pubs because they're not dog-friendly.

"There were many restrictions and that's one of the things that divided opinion," he says.

But what struck him about the local Sam Smith pubs was the "close-knit" atmostphere.

"It's like a family, the staff are very friendly," he says.

"When you walk in, if you're a newcomer, as we were a few months ago, they look and say, 'hey, who's this?'.

"They're very nice, down-to-earth, the people who run the places."

He'd only met Smith a couple of times in passing, he adds, but "had respect for his business skills and what he's achieved".

Patting Charlie's tan and white head, he muses on whether in the future the ban on dogs will be lifted.

"Hopefully there might be some new modernisation, which might please some people.

"[But] at this time, the most important thing to say is it's a sad loss when anybody passes, whatever age they are."

The last stop on the route is The Falcon, one of the operating Sam Smith pubs in town.

A hand drawn sign on the door reads 'the local's local', and several signs in the window warn patrons to respect the rules of the establishment.

At noon in the middle of the week, the pub is quiet inside, but several customers drink pints of Taddy Lager in the beer garden, soaking up the sun.

The fact the brewery owns "virtually all" its venues is a huge advantage, Nick Love, pub protection officer from York Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) explains.

"All the elements are there for it to be an absolutely sensational offering, with a great brewery, great beer, and fantastic pubs," he says.

"You just need the alchemy to work."

He described Smith as "a larger that life figure" often referred to as "a titan of the brewing industry".

Allowing for nuance in policies and reopening many of the long-mothballed pubs, especially those in rural communities, is his hope for the brewery's new era.

"You walk into a pub, you want to feel welcome, to feel you can sit down, you can be yourself," he says.

"Pubs are under an existential threat at the moment. There's a lot of pubs now that are shutting in villages, and it's catastrophic for social wellbeing.

"Any that are opening are very welcome. I think when we can see those opening then there's a chink of light there."

The brewery has yet to comment on Smith's death directly.

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