Cook Brothers (Colchester)

Cook Brothers, Mersea Road Brewery, 17 Mersea Road, Colchester, Essex.

Listed here in 1913, possibly as a replacement for the closed Griffin site at Halstead (see:- T King (Halstead), although the Cook family had already built a replacement brewery there.

Halstead may have supplied this as a depot. It was listed as a separate concern until 1937.

Brewers’ Guardian 1938 states A W & H L Cook, 17 Mersea Road retiring.

See also: Cook & Sons Ltd (Halstead).

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

George Cook moved from his small brewery behind The Griffin public house, Parsonage Street, Halsted (see:- T King (Halstead), when he built his brewery in Mersea Road, Colchester in 1913.

Whilst this brewery was being built, beer from The Griffin was taken to the bottling premises at 155/156, Magdalen Street Colchester. These premises were first established by David Jervis in 1874, brewing at Magdalen Street and trading up to 1887, when presumably upon his death, his widow, Mrs Victoria Jervis continued the business. She sold out to Albert Harry Cook in 1899, he was later joined by his younger brother George (two of the four sons of George Cook) who died in November 1924 after being seriously gassed in the First World War. Brewing ceased on the acquisition by the Cook Brothers and bottling only took place thereafter, in conjunction with the sale of wines and spirits from the off licence shop. These premises were purchased by Cook & Sons Ltd. in 1937.

When the Mersea Road brewery opened and sent beer for bottling to Magdalen Street, the Griffin brewery closed down, (see:- T King (Halstead). The premises were originally Officers Mess and stables and were converted to a brewery by George Cook. The site is now occupied by a petrol station.