Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd
Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd, Stag Brewery, Pimlico, London SW1
Founded by William Greene 1641. Came under the control of James Watney 1858.
Registered 1885 as Watney & Co. Ltd. In 1889, they acquired the Mortlake brewery of Phillips, More & Co. Ltd.
Registered as Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd in June 1898 to amalgamate Watney & Co. Ltd; Combe & Co. Ltd, Woodyard Brewery; and Reid's Brewery Co. Ltd, Griffin Brewery.
After the merger with Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd in 1958, the Pimlico Brewery was closed on 23rd April 1959 and brewing was concentrated at Mann's Albion Brewery and Mortlake; the latter was renamed 'Stag Brewery' at this time.
Acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd in 1972 and was merged with Truman, Hanbury & Buxton & Co. Ltd in 1974.
The Hind Statue once in the front of the offices is now located in Lockmeadow shopping mall, Maidstone.
Takeover and closure trail:
- Carter, Wood & Co, Artillery Brewery, London SW1 was acquired by Watney & Co Ltd in 1890 and brewing ceased there.
- The Saffron Walden brewery of William Day & Co was acquired by Watney & Co Ltd in 1895.
- In 1907, Woodbridge & Co, Yorkshire Stingo Brewery, London W1, with approximately 125 houses were acquired and brewing ceased.
- J E Dawes & Co of Thames Ditton were acquired in January 1911 and their premises were converted into bottling stores in 1914.
- John Samuel Bligh, Holmesdale Brewery, Sevenoaks, was acquired in 1911 with 27 tied houses.
- In 1920, they acquired the Chelsea Brewery Co. Ltd with 80 pubs.
- Ashby's Cobham Brewery Co. Ltd was acquired in 1922 with 56 houses.
- Isleworth Brewery Ltd, after voluntary liquidation in November 1923 was acquired in 1924 with 228 houses.
- They acquired Huggins & Co. Ltd, Lion Brewhouse, London W1 in September 1928 and the brewery was closed.
- London & Burton Brewery Co. Ltd of Stepney were acquired in 1929 and ceased to brew.
- In 1943, they acquired William Cooper & Co. Ltd of Southampton with c.125 houses and brewing ceased there in 1950.
- Crowley & Co of Alton were acquired in 1947 with 248 public houses and brewing ceased there in August 1970.
- They acquired Stockwell Brewery Co. Ltd, London SW9 in May 1951 and retained the Hammerton’s off-licences but sold off the pubs to Charringtons.
- In 1954, the Chichester brewery of Henty & Sons Ltd was acquired with 247 houses of which 120 were resold to Friary, Holroyd & Healy's Breweries Ltd, with part of the brewery.
- Venning & Son Ltd of Liskeard were acquired in January 1955.
- In 1958, Watneys merged with Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd to form Watney Mann Ltd.
List of Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd pubs
The Pimlico brewery features in The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland by Alfred Barnard published 1890.
An assortment of images of the brewery
Miscellaneous:
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