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A short History of Morland's Brewery
 | Written by Jackie Smith
Brewing was already one of Abingdon’s major industries before the Morland family, “Brewers since 1711”, left their established base in West Ilsley to expand their business empire in what was then county town of Berkshire. In the Abbey Obedientiars’ Accounts there are repeated references to Cervisia (ale). An official called the Granatarius had responsibility for the storage of grain for making bread and beer and for ensuring its quality. Conjectural plans of the abbey show the brewhouse on the south-western boundary close to the surviving domestic buildings in Thames Street.
At the Dissolution in 1538 brewing was established in the greater part of these surviving buildings now in the ownership of the Blacknall family. By the end of the 18th century Edward Child had developed a major porter brewery and was leasing many licensed properties from the borough of Abingdon. He was succeeded in what was now listed as the Abbey brewery by John Francis Spenlove, a brewer from Hoddesdon, who had married into the Morland family. His wife Susanna or “Sukey”, the daughter of William Morland of West Ilsley, brought with her a marriage settlement of £5,000 that enabled Spenlove to make major improvements to the brewery. Spenlove was predeceased by both his son and his wife, his sole heir being his daughter Mary. The business was held in trust for her by his business partner John Moses Carter and her cousin George Bowes Morland, a solicitor and son of Benjamin Morland of Sheepstead House, Marcham. The day-to-day running was in the hands of William Anderson, the brewery manager. When Mary died in 1866 the brewery was purchased by her cousin who then leased it to Edward Morland. When this lease ran out in 1895 all production was moved to the brewery in Ock Street.
The first brewery, however, to attract their attention was the Eagle Brewery in Ock Street. It is possible that this was the site of an earlier brewery belonging to Samuel Cheer. A comparison of the two sale notices reveals several properties in common. Unfortunately the details of Cheer’s brewery are undated. In 1861 the Eagle Brewery was advertised for sale following the bankruptcy of William Belcher, son of William Doe Belcher. Belcher’s brewery did not sell immediately but according to newspaper reports was sold by private contract to George Bowes Morland and on to Edward Henry Morland, who was now in charge of three breweries. In 1887 Morland became a limited company registered as United Breweries: the logo for the company was a pyramid of three casks bearing the initial of the three breweries.
The two remaining larger breweries in town were in Stert Street and at the far end of Ock Street. The ownership of the Stert Street Brewery can be traced though documents to Benjamin Tomkins in the early 18th century. He was a member of a prominent Baptist family engaged in the malt trade. The brewery was situated near the present Plough public house and stretched from the Stert Street frontage towards the GWR Station. In the 19th century EJ Trendell, a prosperous wine merchant living in the Abbey House, owned the business. Trendell sold out to Charles Saxby and in 1889 Henry Morland, son of George Bowes Morland, bought the business as a going concern from George Saxby. In the same year the Shillingford brewery of Field & Sons was also acquired.
The Tower Steam Brewery in Ock Street was founded by the Townsend brothers, Thomas and John Matthew. Initially they had interests in the coal and malt trade before becoming maltsters and brewers. The brewery, founded about 1840, was situated at the far end of Ock Street. In 1894 following the death of his brother and partner Thomas, by now in his 70th year, decided to retire from business. The brewery was purchased as a going concern by Messrs Belcher and Habgood who then formed a limited company. In 1928 they sold out to Morlands who used part of the premises for their transport department but closed down the brewing operations. Morland and Co Ltd now owned the four major breweries in town but continued to market the products with their former labels.
With brewing consolidated in Ock Street a new brewhouse with increased capacity became essential. This was built in 1912 at the instigation of Thomas Skurray and continues to dominate the skyline. Skurray was a far-sighted businessman who had studied brewing on the continent. He persuaded the company to introduce more scientific techniques into the art of brewing. In addition to the new brewhouse developments included a new malt extract plant built at the foot of The Vineyard, new maltings and a soft drinks factory. In the years between the wars further take-overs took place; the Wantage Brewery Company, Dymore-Browns’ Royal Albert Brewery and the Angel Brewery in Reading, Hewitts Waltham Brewery and the above-mentioned Belcher and Habgood. This led to a large distribution network throughout seven counties stretching from Hampshire to Gloucestershire.
Between the 1960’s and 1990’s the brewery continued to erect new plant and expand its operations. The anniversary brew Old Speckled Hen, produced in 1979 to celebrate the jubilee of the opening of the MG factory in Abingdon, was a resounding marketing success. A new distribution centre was built on the Ashville Trading Estate freeing up space on what was now a very built-up site. Such expansion and success, however, did not go unnoticed. In 1992 the Suffolk brewer Greene King made its first take-over bid for the brewery. This proved unsuccessful but six years later it succeeded in taking over the entire Morland business. Brewing ceased on the site which was sold to the developer Berkeley Homes. |
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Thomas Leach Limited - Printers of Ock Street
Written by Dr Jon Leach
Thomas Leach was born in Painswick, Gloucestershire, in 1857. He was listed as a cloth worker in the 1881 Census. His father William was also a cloth worker. The 1881 Census shows him to be living in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Thomas was described as a Clerk on his marriage certificate in 1886. When married in 1886 he was living at Redhill, Surrey, but the marriage took place in Abingdon. He started a small stationery and printing business in Redhill. He then moved to Abingdon in 1900 and started printing on small hand press machine in an upstairs room at 9Victoria Rd (off Ock St).
Thomas married Elizabeth Legge, daughter of Frederick Legge, a butcher, who lived and worked at 133 Ock Street. Her mother was Sarah Smart born in 1836, daughter of William Smart and Sarah Ann Fitchett of Abingdon .
Thomas and Elisabeth had seven children. In 1901 they lived with six of the children in the little terrace house in Victoria Road, whilst another daughter lodged with her grandparents in Ock Street, presumably to give them some much needed space! During the 1914-18 War, the family were living in a larger house, No. 52 Ock Street, next door to the current site of the Printing Works.
Thomas Leach purchased No. 54 Ock Street, now the site of the factory, on 10th July 1937 from Harold Barnett. The Barnetts had purchased the building from the Coxeter family in 1900.
Before moving to Ock Street in 1937, Leach’s had a stationery shop in Bath Street. There was a small printing works in the building behind the shop.
Thomas Leach celebrated his 80th Birthday Party at the Guildhall, Abingdon in 1937. Those present included his close family, staff from the printing factory and stationery shops and councilor William Legge, a former Mayor of Abingdon.
The following article appeared on page 1 of the North Berks Herald on Friday 5th February 1937.
MR. THOMAS LEACH
ABINGDON TRADER CELEBRATES 80TH BIRTHDAY
Mr. Thomas Leach, the founder of Messrs. Thomas Leach Ltd celebrated his 80th birthday today (Friday) and to commemorate the event a staff party was given in the Roysse Room, Abingdon, last evening. After games, community singing etc., Mr. T. Leach presided at a birthday supper. He was supported by the mayor (coun. A.E. Tombs, messrs. F.O. [sic]. Leach and V.J. Leach (directors) and others.
Speaking of the host, Mr W. Legge said everyone present regarded Mr T. Leach as a friend, and would join in wishing him all possible happiness, long life and prosperity.
On behalf of the staff, Mr. F Hartwell presented Mr. Leach with an electric reading lamp and shade, expressing the good wishes of all for happy birthday.
The Rev J. T. Jones said Mr. Leach's name was practically a household word in Methodism, and his domestic and business relations were all of the happiest.
Proposing Mr. Leach's health, the mayor said that Abingdon owed a great deal to him. From very small beginnings he had built up a wonderful business.
The toast having been accorded musical honours, Mr. T. Leach responded thanking the staff for all they had done in the past. Speaking of the firm and its growth, he said that it was established as a private business in Redhill, Surrey, in 1890 by the present chairman of the company as a stationery and bookselling business. In 1900 it moved to 14 Bath Street, Abingdon, and after a short stay there it moved to 4 Bath Street. After improvements there, other premises were acquired at the rear of the shop and the floor space was doubled.
The firm had been for 40 years building up postal trade, and this had attained considerable dimensions, practically covering Great Britain and the Irish Free State, with even a few customers in the empire. The firm was recently converted into a private limited company.
End of newspaper article.
Thomas’s son Fred joined the firm at the age of 14 learning all the different processes of the printing trade before going on to manage the factory. Son Vic initially ran the stationers’ shops with Thomas, later coming in to run the office operations at the Printing Works.
The move to Ock St enabled the business to expand - with four printing presses in operation in 1938. The work involved various skilled operations including: setting type, operating the printing machines and cutting the paper with a powered guillotine. Staff known to be working in the print room at that time included Ruth Standbridge, Bill Dewe, Darcy Hallet, Eric Cleeter, Leonard Gregory, Mr Bullock and Frank Hartwell, the foreman.
The factory building, was located behind the old building on Ock Street. The site backs on to the River Ock and is long and narrow reflecting earlier patterns of land usage in Ock Street.
Leach’s was a major customer of Abingdon Post Office. The Sorting Office was conveniently situated next door but one to the Printing Works in Ock Street. Orders included headed letter paper, church stationery and Christmas cards. Ruth and Dorothy Standbridge were known to be working in the packing department in 1938 and used to check and pack the printed orders for dispatch.
Business was conducted across the UK and beyond and required a good deal of correspondence to be typed up. Also, large numbers of printing samples were dispatched to existing and potential customers, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
Most people walked or cycled to and from work. The narrow frontage of the building hides the large amount of space behind it which houses the factory. In 1938, the grocers Rant and Tombs were next door. |
Abingdon Monumental Works
 | Written by Sue Peyman-Stroud
For about 50 years the home of The Abingdon Monumental Works was at 24 Ock Street, Abingdon, part of the Clock House group of buildings. In the early part of the 20th Century the business was advertised in “Hooke’s Abingdon Almanack and Directory” (Abingdon Library) as suppliers of monuments, crosses, tombs and headstones, executed in granite, marble and stone to the newest designs, best materials and first-class workmanship - at moderate charges! The advertisements were under the name of “T.Peyman” and this was in fact Thirza Peyman, (spinster) who in the 1891 census put herself down as “Manageress - Marble and Stone Works; Employer”. Hooke’s advertisement also stated that the business had been established for over a century. This referred to Thirza’s great-grandfather Thomas Peyman (1750-1835) who established the business when he came to Abingdon in the 1780s, leased a house in Boar Street (Bath Street) from the Town Council and built the old “Almshouses-over-the-water” in 1798 (demolished 1884). His eldest son Thomas (1790-1859) was a stonemason / builder and continued the business from Boar Street with his brother William who was a carpenter.
Thomas (junior) married Sarah Prince (or Bartlett) and their eldest son Henry Prince Peyman (1814-1877) followed the family tradition and became a stonemason, also a skilled ornamental sculptor. He had moved the family business to Ock Street by 1861 where he lived with his wife Clara Holloway and his younger sister Thirza, (22 years his junior).
There are many examples of the memorials made by the Peyman family in St.Helen’s Church, including those to the families Gallaway and Eldridge and to the Rev’d.John Cleoburey. In the churchyard are gravestones to: Jenner, Woodridge, Davies/Syrett/Kempe all with “H.P.Peyman” carved at the foot of each stone, However, the most exquisite example is that of the beautifully carved marble font in St.Helen’s church with the name “H.P.Peyman - Abingdon” on the plinth. This font is a marble copy of the old stone Norman font at Sutton Courtney and it was exhibited at the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace at Hyde Park, London in 1851.
In the 1861 census Henry was listed in Ock Street as a “Mason and builder employing 15 men and 1 boy”. By 1871 he was listed as a “Sculptor and statuary employing 3 men.” In 1873 the Church Wardens’ Accounts for St.Helen’s shows that H.P.Peyman was paid £3.8s.0d. for “fixing decorations in the Town Hall at the reopening of St.Helens Church.” A man of many talents!
Not only did Henry carry out his trade as a monumental mason in the adjacent courtyard but he was also Treasurer of the Mechanics Institute whose reading rooms were also situated at Clock House. The Institute had been established in 1854 with the aim to spread “useful knowledge, elevate the mind and bring the different classes of the town into social intercourse with each other.” There were lectures on many diverse topics giving way to reading extracts from well-known authors, music and song as the public’s tastes and interests changed. At one time Scientific evening classes were given but eventually the public preferred to be “entertained” rather than educated.
The Institute possessed a well used library and newsroom, the day-to-day supervision of which was carried out by Henry’s wife Clara and sister Thirza until his untimely death in 1877 aged 63 years. The Institute had been at Clock House for over 20 years when it finally closed in 1879.
Clara and Thirza continued to run the Abingdon Monumental Works as the census of 1881 confirms with Clara shown as “marble and stonemason employing 2 men”. Clara died in 1888 and Thirza continued to run the business as “Manageress” into the early part of the 20th Century. There are memorials in the churchyard at Shippon to the Stacy family which show the stonemason as being C.Peyman (Clara Peyman). It is in this churchyard that Henry, Clara and Thirza are all buried together under an unusual and very unimposing stone.
When Thirza Peyman died in 1911 she brought to an end not only the family business but also the end of the Peyman era in Abingdon which had been there for over 100 years. Other Peymans who had been born in Abingdon ventured elsewhere, presumably in search of work, to places such as London, Kent, Birmingham and as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Many of them took with them the Peyman trade of stonemason (builder) and carpenter which, in some cases, still continues to this day.
Notes on Photographs:
The font can be seen in St Helen's Church, Abingdon. It was made by Henry P. Peyman and was shown at the Great Exhibition in 1851.
The photograph of Ock Street was taken circa 1903 and the words "T.Peyman" and "Abingdon Monumental Works" can be seen inscribed on the white "Z" strip on the side of the Beaconsfield building to the left of the Clock House yard.
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Walter's Cafe
Written by Tim Davies
Prior to 1938 when bought by Walter Durrant, 152 Ock Street had been a greengrocer’s shop. Mr Durrant already ran one café in Oxford’s Covered Market and the newly acquired property in Abingdon was soon transformed into Walters Café.
At this time John Henry (Jack) Costar of Cumnor was trained as a Master Carpenter and found employment in the building trade on various projects in the region. Construction work during the Second World War was however in decline and in 1943 when Walter decided to sell-up the Abingdon business and lease-out the property, Jack and wife Winifred decided that a career change would be a wise move. Despite Jack’s lack of any experience in the catering trade, Mrs Costar had previously managed the canteen at a construction site.
On 14 February 1944 Jack Costar, Winnie and 11-year-old son Malcolm, moved into the leased property at 154, maintaining Walter’s name above the door to encourage continuity of the trade. Takings during the first week were £68 10s 6d.
The first year proved to be a success and 12 months later when Walter Durrant indicated a desire to sell the building, Jack and Winifred had no option other than to borrow the capital required to buy the property in order to continue with the business.
Waitress service was the order of the day and the Costars employed several women and girls during their time, mostly residents of Ock Street. Lil Grice, daughters Gladys & Joan, Elsie Dowson and Margery Grimes were among those who worked at the Café.
Food rationing continued after cessation of the wartime hostilities but, as the café served the workers and drivers putting the country back on its feet, the allowance was generous with ample supplies of basic foodstuffs such as bacon, eggs and tea. There was however the requirement that every single meal and cup of tea supplied had to be logged and reported monthly to the Government Inspector.
These were during the days prior to the A34 Abingdon by-pass when all traffic travelling from the Midlands to the South coast and docks would pass through the town. A frequent sight in Ock Street would be a 60’ long ‘Queen Mary’ aircraft road transporter parked up at the roadside whilst the driver and his mate enjoyed a ‘Cuppa and Full English’.
Prices during this time were: tea 1d, coffee 2d a cup and the average price of a meal was around 1s 6d. There used to be a record player behind the counter on which music was played for the enjoyment of staff and customers. One day Winnie decided to play ‘Abide with Me’ as recorded by her son Malcolm onto disc one day at the Taphouse Music Store in Oxford. This apparently did not go down too well with the clientele and even less so with the embarrassed young Malcolm.
Troop convoys on the move would make the stop-off at Ock Street for a break and RAF servicemen from the camp at Shippon were regular customers. After being on exercises they would flock to the café and were often lined-up down the garden waiting to be served. Local building workers had always used the café for breakfast and lunch and during the construction of the Harwell Laboratory complex, trade was boosted by the influx of contract workers staying in the area to work at the site.
Jack and Winnie’s son Malcolm Costar vowed he would never work in the café and on leaving school aged 14, went to work at East St. Helen’s Garage. He was called-up for National Service in 1950 and served his time at home and abroad in the Royal Berks Parachute Regiment. Following this, and after drifting around several jobs since, Malcolm found himself helping out ‘temporarily’ at home in the café as his father was suffering a bout of ill health.
In 1949 Jack had employed 17-year-old Jean Harper. Despite having little interest in the café as a business at the time, it became obvious that Malcolm had certainly taken a shine to the new waitress and to cut a long story short, the happy couple were married at the Abingdon Registry Office in 1953.
Malcolm and Jean continued to work at Walter’s under his parents and during the ensuing ten years Malcolm’s role in the family business evolved to the point where he was virtually running affairs. When Jack retired in 1966, the transition to Malcolm as proprietor was therefore seamless and business continued as usual. Any alteration to normal working practices or clientele was purely incidental or governed by the changing times.
The end of National Service resulted in a reduction of Servicemen at the café. When the A34 by-pass was under construction, Malcolm and Jean feared the worst but, upon its opening they realised that whereas there had previously been a juggernaut with driver parked-up in a lay-by, for each lorry there was now, three local builders vans complete with occupants.
A jukebox was installed and later fruit machines. Gaming consoles (remember Space Invaders?) attracted youngsters; especially those from Royce’s (Abingdon) and St. Helens, who would meet-up together every evening after school in the back room. ‘Often you couldn’t see across the room for the smoke!’
In 1957 the change was made from waitress to self-service but the café still employed a string of local girls to help-out with cooking and clearing duties. Many of these had family connections; Hazel Cousins, Maureen Harper, Jenny Harper, and youngest daughters Tracy and Teresa Costar. Two others at the heart of operations during the 70’s and 80’s were Sarah (Betty) Doyle and Kim McKenzie whilst Peggy Haines would help-out at the back.
As the family were now living next-door at 152 Ock Street, the rooms above the café were vacant and for a period Malcolm and Jean ran them as a Bed-and-Breakfast alongside the main business. They could host up to seven at a time and the majority of residents were long distance drivers or workmen engaged on medium term contracts in the area.
Lunchtime meals for local office workers were popular during this period and a ‘Daily Special’ was introduced. A typical ‘special’ could be roast beef & vegetables, liver and onions or home baked meat pie complete with trimmings – all for £1.20.
The café would also provide food for those unfortunate enough to find themselves confined to the cells at Abingdon Police Station. The police phoned through the order, to be collected ½ hour later. Sometimes the call would come on a Sunday morning when the café was closed. The station had the facilities to cook the food themselves but lacked the manpower, supplies or inclination, which meant that Malcolm would have to supply – even on his one day off in the week.
By 1992, and after 40 years in the family business, Malcolm decided that his ‘temporary’ role at Walter’s Café had certainly run its course and made the decision to sell-up. He and Jean moved to Newbury and then on to Thatcham where they are now enjoying a well-earned retirement.
Since that day the institution that was Walter’s Café has been the Chinese Kitchen takeaway but I can give you my very best assurance that, when pressed, Malcolm can still rustle-up the best bacon butty ever tasted in Abingdon.
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Victorian Plumbing
Written by Christopher N Lewis
In the nineteenth century directories and census returns, the trades of ‘plumber’ and ‘glazier’ often go together, sometimes also with ‘painter’. Why was this? The common feature was working with lead – lead pipes, ‘leaded lights’ in windows, and lead in paint, to give better covering properties (other heavy metals were often used to create coloured paints). ‘Plumbers’ also included those who fitted gas pipes, and those who worked on exterior roofs, fitting lead flashing, drainpipes and downpipes.
Lead pipes were popular for low pressure systems because they were strong, malleable, and resistant to corrosion. Fittings such as taps were mass produced in brass. Lead pipes continued to be used to join mains supplies to domestic systems as late as 1980s.
By the last quarter of the century, the world of plumbing was changing, and new skills were required. As glass manufacturing techniques improved, window panes could be larger, and the ubiquitous Victorian sash windows had only four, or even two, panes of glass, fitted in a wooden frame, using putty. Leaded windows were still used in unusual places, such as the semi-circular part of the window of The Beaconsfield in Ock Street, and leaded, decorative glass was commonly used in, or above front doors, as a status symbol. James Leonard’s house at 77 Ock Street, has some ornamental glass above the door.
Iron pipes with screw threads were being produced, and using these, methods of piping both hot and cold water throughout a whole building were developed. The porcelain W.C. and hand-basin had been fitted into Queen Victoria’s new house at Osbourne, Isle of Wight and were displayed at the Great Exhibition in 1851. By the mid-eighteen-seventies, these, and suitable drainage pipes were being produced at an affordable price by ceramics firms such as Royal Dalton, Twyfords, and Armitage. Under pressure from the Local Government Board, the Conservators of the River Thames, and their own Medical Officer, the Borough Council laid drains and built a Sewage Farm at Sutton Wick. A water supply followed; the main water pipes were laid in the autumn of 1879, and, like all road-works, caused complaints to the council.
There were five plumbers listed in Abingdon in Kellys’ Directory for 1883. One of these was James Leonard. He had probably learned his trade from his father Charles (1820-1869) who lived in the Vineyard. By 1881 James had moved to 77 Ock Street and married Mary Jane Drew, one of an extended family of builders and carpenters, based in Ock Street. When James retired R. Pollard took over the business, operating from the same address. |
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