C Stopes and Sons
Christopher Stopes and Sons, Eagle Brewery, East Hill, Colchester, Essex.
Robert Hurnard founded his brewery in East Hill in 1828 and was soon to be joined by his son, Robert Hurnard being last listed in 1855. Prior to 1866, the trading title had been changed to James Hurnard, Robert's son.
In 1866, Christopher Stopes acquired the business and traded as such until 1877, merging with A.T. Osborne in 1886 to form the Colchester Brewery Company. In 1887 the concern was converted into a limited liability company. Mr Christopher Stopes was originally apprenticed to Robert Hurnard as a miller at Kelvedon, but as the milling trade was slack, both Hurnard and Stopes went to America, settling in Wilmington. Both returned to England having made a fortune and were able to commence the brewery concern in 1828.
In 1888, the brewery was rebuilt, using contrasting red and yellow bricks, a commemorative red sandstone block inscribed 12th May, 1888, H. Stopes as architect. The brewery was of 140 quarters capacity supplying 330 licenced houses. At this time Mr Arthur O. Stopes was managing director, who invented a patent boiler cleansing apparatus used on the three Galloway boilers, one of which was manufactured by the local firm of Messers Paxman and Company. There was one deep well supplying liquor. At this time the company had eight maltings in Essex and Suffolk, the chief one in St Peter's Street, Colchester. This was a four-floored red brick building 120 feet x 60 feet with two large kilns, formerly a silk factory.
At the maltings another of Mr A.O. Stopes inventions was used, a very finely graduated thermometer for testing the barley. In 1925 the firm was purchased by Ind Coope Ltd, Romford, including 317 licensed houses, some 60 in Colchester and 40 in Ipswich, with both the Eye and Halesworth breweries which by then had ceased production. The merger of the Eye and Falcon Breweries in 1886 traded for one year as the Norfolk & Suffolk Brewery Co Ltd, Eye, later in 1887 to become the Colchester Brewing Co. Ltd.
The Colchester Brewing Co. Ltd owned one of the very first cars in Colchester, a two-cylinder Daimler of 1900 vintage which had a maximum speed of 25 m.p.h. and was chain driven to the rear axle. Mr A.E. Burch who was the engineer usually drove the car. The company was the first owner of a motorised lorry, and this was also delivered in 1900, a Milnes Daimler. It had a completely open cab with a vertical steering wheel and wooden spoked wheels with wood block brakes.
The last horse on the payroll of Ind Coope & Allsopp Ltd was called "Prince", who retired in April, 1947, along with his master, Mr W.W. Green, after 33 years service, from Nicholls Mineral Water Company, a subsidiary of the Colchester Brewing Co. Ltd.
At the time of purchase by Ind Coope Ltd, brewing ceased, the premises thereafter being used as a regional office and depot, delivering beers to the region up until 1987.
In the late 1980's the entire brewery site, adjacent to the Charrington, Nicholl & Co. Ltd, was sold and has recently been converted into offices at the front with the tower brew house now residential accommodation. The cleaned brickwork is now a prominent feature of the area but the once golden eagle alas has now been painted black. The red sandstone foundation stone on the front elevation has had the name of the company erased, this was a war time precaution to prevent identification of the town of Colchester in case of invasion!
From ESSEX BREWERS - The Malting and Hop Industries of the County by Ian P Peaty 1992 now out of print ISBN 978 1 873966 02 4