Greene King Brewery: a potted history
It is no coincidence that Matthias Wright, whose family had owned a brewery on the corner of Bridewell Lane and Westgate Street for much of the 18th century would call his brewery The Westgate Brewery. The executors of his will eventually sold this as it had been on the market since 1798. An offer was put in by a newly formed business partnership, that of former Bury wool merchant William Buck and newcomer to Bury, Benjamin Greene a brewer from Oundle, Northamptonshire, the year 1805! Benjamin’s third son, Edward eventually took over running the brewery leading to an amalgamation with Frederick King’s, St Edmunds Brewery in 1887, becoming Greene King, now the largest independent brewery in the country.
Some of the biggest employers through-out the 19thC were those engaged in the preparation of barley for the brewing of beer, the germinating barley had to be continuously raked on the maltings floor. Amazingly Bury had twelve separate maltsters in 1844. In 1852 farmer Frederick King had married Emily Maulkin eldest daughter of Robert Maulkin one of Burys major maltsters, Fred then set up his own brewery, The St Edmund Brewery.
In 1868 Edward Greene had purchased the recently deceased Henry Braddock’s Southgate Brewery, maltings and pubs to stop them falling into rival Fred’s hands. In 1880 Edward built his own large Foundry maltings and seven years later amalgamated his Westgate Brewery with Fred King to become Greene King.
Built in 1869 the brewery brick chimney emanating from the boiler house was demolished in August 1983 after it was found to be leaning nearly eighteen inches out of upright. Due to its precarious location it could not be blown up and was taken down brick by brick by steeplejacks.
Greene King is now the country’s leading pub company and brewer employs more than 650 people directly. Among its five divisions are: The Pub Company which has over 3,000 pubs, restaurants and hotels with brands such as The Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer and Old English Inns. There is also Loch Fynne fish restaurants and Pub Partners, which supports around 1200 licensees, Brewing & Brands. Greene King has two breweries, the Westgate Brewery in Bury and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar, Scotland. This, the oldest brewery in Scotland from 1719 was purchased by GK in August 2005 for £187 million.
In 2000, the Morland Brewery of Abingdon-On-Thames was also taken over but then closed down, however their flagship ale, Old Speckled Hen and their other trade-mark beers are now brewed in Bury. These are now part of the GK portfolio of well-loved beers along with IPA and Abbot Ale among the most popular.
In 1980 a new draught beer cellar was built on concrete ’stilts’ in case the nearby River Linnet flooded, it cost £1.4 million and was designed by the renowned Hopkins Architects, the beer comes from a pipeline from the brewery. The ‘raised cellar’ facilitates the easier loading of delivery lorries.
Greene King’s modernisation has rapidly increased since the Morland purchase, across town, at Kempson Way a new bottling plant was opened in 2006 (on the old Britvic site) costing £8 million, producing 25,000 bottles an hour! Greene King is definitely looking forward still supporting the community, the opening of a Beer Café plus the very popular brewery tour with knowledgeable guides. Not forgotten though are their retired employees who can still enjoy a free pint week-days at the Brewery Tap!
With the recent news that Greene King are to re-locate with a purpose-built brewery costing some £40 million pounds at Suffolk Business Park, their existing portfolio of buildings many of which are listed will have a new future, what we wait and see!
