Watney Combe & Reid
Encyclopedia
Watney Combe & Reid was a leading brewing business in London. At its peak in the 1930s it was a constituent of the FT30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange
. It produced the beer brand Watney's Red Barrel.
, for much of the 19th century. In 1837 James Watney
became a partner in the brewery, as did his sons James
and Norman in 1856. On his death in 1884, the brewery became a private limited company.
In 1898 it acquired Messrs. Combe Delafield and Co. and Messrs. Reid and Co., and was thereafter known as Messrs. Watney Combe and Reid.
The Woodyard Brewery, of Castle Street, Long Acre, situated midway between the City
and the West End of London
, took its name from the original occupation of Thomas Shackle, a dealer in timber
, who founded it in 1740. Shackle is said to have delivered his beer
in small casks with his wood and he soon built up a valuable business. He was succeeded by a Mr. Gyfford, of whom no further record remains. At the beginning of the 19th century the brewery was acquired by Harvey Christian Combe
, who was remarkable for his energy and great business ability. Combe had been Lord Mayor of London
in 1799-1800 and was Member of Parliament
for the City of London
from 1796
to 1817.
The business was largely increased under the management of Combe, who repaired and rebuilt the brewery premises. On his death in 1832 the brewery passed to his son, Harvey Combe, and his brother-in-law, Joseph Delafield, by whom the premises were further enlarged. Harvey Combe, who was a great sportsman and well-known as the master of the Berkeley Hounds, died unmarried in 1858. He was succeeded by his two nephews, Messrs. R. H. and Charles Combe, Mr. Joseph Bonsor and his two sons, and Mr. John Spicer. Under the management of these partners, the brewhouse property was still further extended, and ultimately covered more than 4 acres (16,187.4 m²). The water, or "liquor" as the brewers term it, required for brewing purposes was supplied in part by the New River
Company and partly by three deep wells sunk by the firm upon the premises.
In 1834, the company was involved in two major strikes
. The first, in March, involved the coopers
who were demanding an increase in their wages; part of their tactics involved persuading other workers to boycott
the company's beer. Although this strike petered out, it set a precedent. In April, the following single line article appeared in The Times
: "The carpenters and bricklayers belonging to the Trades Unions
have, in consequence of Messrs. Combe and Delafield's refusal to employ any person connected with Trade Unions, resolved to drink no more of their beer" (The Times, 5 Apr 1834).
In July, the Master Builders proposed the reduction in the wages paid to the journeymen and to refuse to employ members of the Operative Builders' Union. Amongst the Master Builders concerned were Lewis
and William Cubitt, brothers of Thomas Cubitt
, who had workshops on the Gray's Inn Road
. The brothers had had long-standing connections with the brewery, being responsible for the construction of a number of its pubs. In return for these profitable contracts, the brothers prohibited the consumption of any beer in their workshops, other than that brewed by Combe Delafield. The unions called for a boycott of the brewery culminating on 26 July 1834 in a meeting at the Silver Cup public house, when an extraordinary resolution was passed, "that all workers in the metropolis are urged to stop drinking beer produced by the Combe and Delafield brewery". The dispute continued until November, with neither side achieving much. The biggest losers were possibly Combe Delafield who, despite being innocent victims of the dispute, suffered heavy losses through reduced beer sales.
Originally, the brewery's main product had been the dark porter
style of beer. In 1818 it was the fifth largest brewer of Porter in London, producing over 130000 barrels (20,668.3 m³) a year. By the middle of the 19th century, following the Great Exhibition
lighter ale
s were becoming more popular. According to "The Red Barrel: a History of Watney Mann", by Hurford Janes (1963) "at the Wood Yard Brewery Combe, Delafield & Co, quickly adjusted their methods to meet the new demand, brewing ales similar in colour and flavour to those of Burton ale which had become the rage".
In 1866, the company changed its name to "Combe & Co." By the late 19th century, the senior partner in the brewery was Joseph Bonsor's son, Sir Cosmo Bonsor, who organised an amalgamation of Combe & Co. and Reid and Co. with the Watney brewery, to form Watney Combe & Reid, of which he remained chairman until 1928.
of Northampton and Ushers of Trowbridge
, before merging with Grand Metropolitan
Hotels in 1972, and closed in 1979.
popular in the United Kingdom
in the 1960s and 1970s and is referenced as a cultural phenomenon of that era, such as in the Monty Python
"Travel Agent" sketch. and the BBC series "Life on Mars" Series One episode three. It was introduced in 1931 as an export keg
beer that could travel for long distances by being made stable through filtering
and pasteurising - as such it was the first keg beer. In 1986, Biederman & Company was chosen as the advertising
and public relations
firm for Watneys.
The beer could be purchased in cans called the Party Seven and Party Four (at seven and four pints, respectively), introduced in 1968.
A 3.9% abv
pale lager
with the name Watneys Red Barrel was sold by the Sleeman Brewery until 1997
and a 6.0% beer with the same name is still brewed by Alken-Maes
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
. It produced the beer brand Watney's Red Barrel.
The Stag Brewery
The Watney family were the main partners in the Stag Brewery, PimlicoPimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
, for much of the 19th century. In 1837 James Watney
James Watney
James Watney was a brewer and landowner who resided at Haling Park, Croydon, and Beddington, Surrey. He was born to Daniel Watney of Mitcham, Surrey and Mary Galpin , daughter of James Galpin of Mitcham, Surrey...
became a partner in the brewery, as did his sons James
James Watney, Jr.
James Watney, Jr was Conservative Member of Parliament for East Surrey from 1871-1885.James was the eldest son of James Watney and Rebecca Spurrell and was a partner in the family brewing business Watney Combe & Reid...
and Norman in 1856. On his death in 1884, the brewery became a private limited company.
In 1898 it acquired Messrs. Combe Delafield and Co. and Messrs. Reid and Co., and was thereafter known as Messrs. Watney Combe and Reid.
Combe Delafield and Co.
Combe Delafield and Co. was one of the major brewers in London during the nineteenth century, before being acquired by Watney in 1898, thus forming Watney Combe and Reid.The Woodyard Brewery, of Castle Street, Long Acre, situated midway between the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and the West End of London
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, took its name from the original occupation of Thomas Shackle, a dealer in timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
, who founded it in 1740. Shackle is said to have delivered his beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
in small casks with his wood and he soon built up a valuable business. He was succeeded by a Mr. Gyfford, of whom no further record remains. At the beginning of the 19th century the brewery was acquired by Harvey Christian Combe
Harvey Christian Combe
Harvey Christian Combe was an English Whig politician.He was Lord Mayor of London in 1799.At the 1796 general election he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the City of London. He held the seat for 21 years, until he resigned from the House of Commons in 1817 by taking the Chiltern Hundreds...
, who was remarkable for his energy and great business ability. Combe had been Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1799-1800 and was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the City of London
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
from 1796
British general election, 1796
The British general election, 1796 returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain to be held before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...
to 1817.
The business was largely increased under the management of Combe, who repaired and rebuilt the brewery premises. On his death in 1832 the brewery passed to his son, Harvey Combe, and his brother-in-law, Joseph Delafield, by whom the premises were further enlarged. Harvey Combe, who was a great sportsman and well-known as the master of the Berkeley Hounds, died unmarried in 1858. He was succeeded by his two nephews, Messrs. R. H. and Charles Combe, Mr. Joseph Bonsor and his two sons, and Mr. John Spicer. Under the management of these partners, the brewhouse property was still further extended, and ultimately covered more than 4 acres (16,187.4 m²). The water, or "liquor" as the brewers term it, required for brewing purposes was supplied in part by the New River
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....
Company and partly by three deep wells sunk by the firm upon the premises.
In 1834, the company was involved in two major strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
. The first, in March, involved the coopers
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
who were demanding an increase in their wages; part of their tactics involved persuading other workers to boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
the company's beer. Although this strike petered out, it set a precedent. In April, the following single line article appeared in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
: "The carpenters and bricklayers belonging to the Trades Unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
have, in consequence of Messrs. Combe and Delafield's refusal to employ any person connected with Trade Unions, resolved to drink no more of their beer" (The Times, 5 Apr 1834).
In July, the Master Builders proposed the reduction in the wages paid to the journeymen and to refuse to employ members of the Operative Builders' Union. Amongst the Master Builders concerned were Lewis
Lewis Cubitt
Lewis Cubitt was born on 29 September 1799 and died on 9 June 1883. He married Sophia Kendall on 23 January 1830.He was the younger brother of Thomas Cubitt, the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and he designed many of the housing developments constructed...
and William Cubitt, brothers of Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt , born Buxton, Norfolk, was the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and also carried out several projects in other parts of England.-Background:...
, who had workshops on the Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road, formerly Gray's Inn Lane, is a major road in central London, in the London Borough of Camden. It is named after Gray's Inn, one of the main Inns of Court. The road starts in Holborn, near Chancery Lane tube station and the boundaries of the City of London and the London Borough...
. The brothers had had long-standing connections with the brewery, being responsible for the construction of a number of its pubs. In return for these profitable contracts, the brothers prohibited the consumption of any beer in their workshops, other than that brewed by Combe Delafield. The unions called for a boycott of the brewery culminating on 26 July 1834 in a meeting at the Silver Cup public house, when an extraordinary resolution was passed, "that all workers in the metropolis are urged to stop drinking beer produced by the Combe and Delafield brewery". The dispute continued until November, with neither side achieving much. The biggest losers were possibly Combe Delafield who, despite being innocent victims of the dispute, suffered heavy losses through reduced beer sales.
Originally, the brewery's main product had been the dark porter
Porter (beer)
Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
style of beer. In 1818 it was the fifth largest brewer of Porter in London, producing over 130000 barrels (20,668.3 m³) a year. By the middle of the 19th century, following the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
lighter ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
s were becoming more popular. According to "The Red Barrel: a History of Watney Mann", by Hurford Janes (1963) "at the Wood Yard Brewery Combe, Delafield & Co, quickly adjusted their methods to meet the new demand, brewing ales similar in colour and flavour to those of Burton ale which had become the rage".
In 1866, the company changed its name to "Combe & Co." By the late 19th century, the senior partner in the brewery was Joseph Bonsor's son, Sir Cosmo Bonsor, who organised an amalgamation of Combe & Co. and Reid and Co. with the Watney brewery, to form Watney Combe & Reid, of which he remained chairman until 1928.
Watney Mann
Watney Mann was formed in 1958 with the merger of Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd with Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd. The business acquired other brewers, including Phipps NBCPhipps NBC
Phipps Northampton Brewery Company Ltd, formerly known as P.Phipps and Phipps Brewery is a brewing company with a long and varied history, currently specialising in historical real ales and stout, based in Northampton, England.-Early History:...
of Northampton and Ushers of Trowbridge
Ushers of Trowbridge
Ushers of Trowbridge was a brewery located in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.In 1824, Thomas Usher and his wife Hannah acquired a small brewery in Back Street, Trowbridge, renaming it Usher's Wiltshire Brewery. In 1844, the couples three sons joined the partnership, allowing the parents to retire in 1869...
, before merging with Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
Hotels in 1972, and closed in 1979.
Watneys Red Barrel
Watneys Red Barrel was a bitterBitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
popular in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 1960s and 1970s and is referenced as a cultural phenomenon of that era, such as in the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
"Travel Agent" sketch. and the BBC series "Life on Mars" Series One episode three. It was introduced in 1931 as an export keg
Keg
A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....
beer that could travel for long distances by being made stable through filtering
Filtered beer
Bright beer is beer in which yeast is no longer in suspension. There are several methods used for clearing yeast from beer, from waiting for the yeast to drop of its own accord to filtering it.-Dropping bright:...
and pasteurising - as such it was the first keg beer. In 1986, Biederman & Company was chosen as the advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firm for Watneys.
The beer could be purchased in cans called the Party Seven and Party Four (at seven and four pints, respectively), introduced in 1968.
A 3.9% abv
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
pale lager
Pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it...
with the name Watneys Red Barrel was sold by the Sleeman Brewery until 1997
and a 6.0% beer with the same name is still brewed by Alken-Maes
Alken-Maes
Alken-Maes is a Belgian brewery created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes, located in Waarloos and Alken. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2000, who were taken over by Carlsberg and Heineken in 2007.- History :...