Melton Brewery Co
Melton Brewery Co, Coach & Horses, Melton Road, Melton, Suffolk.
Founded by 1844 when known as the Coach & Horses Brewery, then owned by Bilby Smith.
By the 1860s was in hands of the Mallett family.
In 1885 Edward Smith was shown as brewery manager and then brewer 1888-1902.
Sir William Cuthbert Quilter formed the above concern in 1902.
Brewing ceased in 1912 following the death of Sir Cuthbert the previous year.
The old brewery building is now a shop located adjacent to the Coach and Horses pub which after 1912 was owned by Bullard & Sons Ltd.
Melton Brewery Co, formerly Coach and Horses Brewery, Melton Road, Melton, Suffolk by Rev’d Eric Doré
The predecessor Coach and Horses Brewery dates back to 1844 when Bilby Smith owned the Coach and Horses public house which presumably became the brewery tap. In the 1860s the business was in the hands of the Mallett (or Mallet) family. Firstly, John Mallett is listed as the occupier of the home brew inn in 1868, followed by Joseph Mallett who is listed as the brewer in 1869. Mrs Betsy Mallet was the publican and brewer between 1879 and 1887. She was succeeded by Edward Smith who was brewery manager in 1885 and brewer from 1888 to 1902
Sir William Cuthbert Quilter’s Melton Brewery Co was formed in 1902 as the successor to the Coach and Horses Brewery. Being a pioneer in the crusade for “pure beer” (as shown on the bottle labels for the brewery) Quilter advertised the business as the “Pure Ale Brewery” and made heroic attempts “to secure the true hop-made article for the connoisseur”
Melton Brewery Co was set up by Sir (William) Cuthbert, his son Eustace, Mr Harold Payne and J F Remnant M.P. and they bought the Shoulder of Mutton Inn at Ipswich in order to introduce pure beer. However, the venture ran into problems not it seems on the basis of the quality of the beer but because, at the licensing sessions, the chief constable objected to the renewal of the license on the grounds “of the class of women frequenting the house”. As a result, the venture was short lived and the brewery closed in 1912 shortly after the death of the Sir Cuthbert in 1911.
The old brewery building is now a shop located adjacent to the Coach and Horses pub which after 1912 was owned by Bullard & Sons Ltd of Norwich.
Courtesy Paul Gunnell
Courtesy Paul Gunnell
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