Courage & Co. Ltd

Reading Festival Ale

Courage Glass Sign. Photo: Jorgen Langkilde Larsen, Aarhus, Denmark

Courage & Co. Ltd, Anchor Brewery, Horselydown, Bermondsey, Southwark, London SE1

Acquired by John Courage in 1787. Registered in April 1888.

Merged with Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd in 1955 to form Courage & Barclay Ltd. with about 1,250 houses.

Merged with H & G Simonds Ltd in 1960 to form Courage, Barclay & Simonds Ltd. The Bridge Street brewery (Reading) was demolished in 1983.

In 1961, they acquired Bristol Brewery Georges & Co. Ltd with 1,459 tied houses. The Bristol brewery was closed in 1999.

Name changed to Courage (Eastern) Ltd. October 1970.

Acquired by the Imperial Tobacco Group Ltd. August 1972. Anchor Brewery closed 1981 and brewing was transferred to Worton Grange, Reading. The Imperial Group was acquired by the Hanson Trust in 1986 who sold Courage as a separate concern to Elders IXL. Courage took over all of the Grand Metropolitan breweries in exchange for the Courage public houses which were run by a jointly owned company, Inntrepreneur Estates. Courage were sold to Scottish & Newcastle to become Scottish Courage.

Brewhouse now riverside residential apartments.

List of Courage & Co Ltd pubs

The brewery features in The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland by Alfred Barnard published 1890.

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An assortment of images of the brewery

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  Inside Worton Grange

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  Inside Worton Grange

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  Inside Worton Grange

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  Inside Worton Grange

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  Inside Worton Grange

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  Worton Grange

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  Worton Grange

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  Worton Grange in 1993

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  Worton Grange in 1981

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  Worton Grange in 1981

An assortment of images of the brewery

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The brewery in 2010. Courtesy Steve Peck.

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