Plymouth Breweries

Plymouth Breweries

One of the area’s major brewery companies, the Plymouth Breweries operated from 1889 until 1970 based at Regent Brewery and old Anchor Brewery premises adjacent to Stonehouse Bridge (also the site of the Prince George public house). The Anchor Brewery premises now having been replaced by an extension to the Marine Projects complex but still easily located thanks to the retention of the East Stonehouse crest on the wall.

The company was formed in October 1889 by acquiring, for £317,650 the the businesses of A.H. Butcher (Anchor Brewery), Samuel Vosper (Regent Brewery), George Ryall (Frankfort St Brewery, Plymouth), Hicks & Co (South Devon Brewery, Willow St, Plymouth) and F.R. Vaughan (Saltash Brewery, Saltash).

The first managing director was Samuel Vosper.

In 1893 the Regent Brewery was enlarged, increasing capacity to 3 times its original level

In 1894 the other 4 breweries were closed

Plymouth Breweries made a number of acquisitions of local breweries;

- Torquay Brewery in 1897

- Swayne & Co, Ellacombe Brewery, Torquay in 1925

- Greenslade Bros, St Mary Church Brewery, Torquay in 1925

The company was itself acquired by Courage, Barclay and Simonds for £6.5 million in December 1970 and in November 1971 changed its name to Courage PB Ltd.

Regent Brewery continued to brew until it was closed in 1984.

A wide variety of bottles are found bearing the company details including Codd bottles and stoneware ginger beer bottles. Unusual items that appear occasionally are stoneware ginger beers bearing the name “The Plymouth Brewery, Liverpool” and small glass champagne bottles embossed with the company name. Most desirable of the company’s bottles is undoubtedly the amber marble codd bottle. An early codd bottle from the company still includes the Butcher / Stonehouse trade mark.