Fremlin's Brewery

The former main entrance to Fremlin's Brewery on Earl Street, Maidstone, now part of the Fremlin Walk shopping centre

Fremlin's was a brewery in Maidstone, Kent, England. It was established by Ralph Fremlin in 1861, who eschewed the pub trade and focused on bottled beer, on religious grounds. The beer was known for the distinctive elephant logo on the bottles. The brewery expanded to become the largest in Kent, before going into decline after being purchased by Whitbread in 1967.

History

Expansion

The original brewery was founded on Earl Street, Maidstone, around 1790.[1] It was bought by Ralph Fremlin in 1861, who rebuilt the premises, and expanded the production plant along the street, taking over a pub further down which was demolished. As well as being in charge of production, Fremlin managed all engineering and accounts.[2] He did not approve of public houses and sold the ten premises associated with the brewery at that point.[3] Instead, he produced bottled beer for the home trade, believing it could be consumed in moderation more easily, delivering bottles door-to-door via horse and cart.[2][3] The beer was a success, and Fremlin's expanded to produce lager and "National Temperance Ale", along with establishing a London branch on Buckingham Palace Road by 1894.[3] Fremlin's was the first British brewery to mass-produce beer in bottles and jars, which became a key factor in their growth.[2]

A devout Christian, Fremlin ran bible classes for the brewery's employees, funded local churches, and was chairman of the local school board.[3] He did not supply beer to pubs as he felt the typical Victorian beerhouse was ethically wrong.[2] The company logo was an elephant standing on top of the family's coat of arms, which appeared on bottles and glasses.[4] It was used because of the Fremlin's association with the East India Company.[5]

Fremlin's Faversham brewery, now a Tesco

Following Ralph Fremlin's death in 1910, the brewery was briefly run by his brother Richard until his death five years later. After World War I, it was necessary to revisit company policy, so a private limited company, Fremlin Bros Ltd was formed in 1920.[2] The company reverted to the pub trade, buying up smaller breweries around Kent, and the Harris Browne Brewery in Barnet and Adams Brewery in Halstead, Essex.[6] Fremlin's had become Kent's largest brewery by the mid-20th century, having acquired around 800 pubs and other licensed premises.[7] In 1949, the company bought out George Beer & Rigden in Faversham, along with its production plant. It closed in 1954, with all brewing taking place in Maidstone, but reopened in 1961 to meet demand.[8] In 1960, Fremlin's bought Frederick Leney & Sons of Wateringbury, taking over their brewery and 189 pubs.[8]

Decline

In 1967, Fremlin's were bought out by Whitbread,[7] who closed the Maidstone premises to brewing on 15 September 1972.[8] It remained in use as a depot in the 1970s, before closing entirely.[1] In 1978, much of the brewery's infrastructure connecting it to the River Medway was demolished in order to construct St Peter's Bridge and the A229 diversion around Maidstone town centre. The remainder of the Earl Street brewery was demolished in 1980.[9]

The Earl Street site is now part of Fremlin Walk, a shopping centre.[1] The Faversham plant remained open for some years afterwards, producing Whitbread Trophy beer. It closed in 1990.[6] A Tesco store now occupies the site.[10] The Wateringbury site closed down in 1981, but has since reopened as a distribution centre for Whitbread.[8]

Beers produced

  • Three Start Bitter
  • AK Mild
  • English Stock Ale[4]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Preston 2016, p. 75.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hales 2013, p. 27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Glover 2013, p. 50.
  4. 1 2 Glover 2013, p. 49.
  5. ↑ Hales 2013, p. 30.
  6. 1 2 Glover 2013, p. 51.
  7. 1 2 "Ten Fascinating Historical Facts About Maidstone". Kent Online. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Hales 2013, p. 31.
  9. ↑ Hales 2013, p. 29.
  10. ↑ "Redevelopment of Listed Brewery Buildings, Faversham –Phase 2 to start on site". Philip Long & Co. Retrieved 3 April 2017.

Sources

  • Preston, James (2016). Kent's Industrial Heritage. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-445-66217-6.
  • Glover, Brian (2013). The Lost Beers & Breweries of Britain. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-445-62049-7.
  • Hales, Irene (2013). Old Maidstone's Public Houses from Old Photographs. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-445-62982-7.
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