Castlemaine Brewery Company (Melbourne)

Last updated

Castlemaine Brewery Company (Melbourne) Ltd was a major brewer in Victoria, Australia, from 1885 until its amalgamation into the new Carlton and United Breweries in 1907.

The Castlemaine Brewery had been founded in 1857 by Edward Fitzgerald, with his brother Nicholas Fitzgerald joining in 1859. The brothers established a number of established successful breweries in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in different partnerships. The Melbourne brewery, known as "South Melbourne" at the time but now located in Southbank, was established by Nicholas Fitzgerald in 1872, with James B. Perrins as managing partner. [1] [2] [3]

The Castlemaine Brewery Company (Melbourne) was floated on 1 March 1885 as a public company to acquire the interests of Fitzgerald and Perrins in the Melbourne brewery and associated hotels. Fitzgerald became chairman of directors of the new company, while Perrins became managing director. [1] [4] [5] [6] [3] The company granted their workers an eight hour day in May 1885. [7]

The company's products included ale, porter and stout. [8] [9]

The brewery was continually expanded through the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. Some of these buildings are now subject to heritage protection. [10] [11] Perrins remained managing director until his death in 1892, after which Fitzgerald assumed the role; he would be both chairman and managing director until the brewery's amalgamation and closure. [12] [13] [14]

By 1899, the company was facing "unsatisfactory" trading conditions, noting the impact of "severe competition" on profits, despite increased sales. [15] The company formed a cartel, the Society of Melbourne Brewers, with seven other breweries in 1903, in an attempt to end "ruinous competition". [8] However, the company's financial position did not improve by 1906, with no dividend paid for 1905 and Fitzgerald seeking to retire and seeking a "settlement of the present very unsatisfactory conditions." [16]

In 1907 it amalgamated with five other major breweries to form Carlton & United Breweries. CUB immediately proposed to centralise brewing at three premises and to close the remaining three, including the Castlemaine brewery. [17] [18] The brewery buildings and site were sold off and used for other commercial purposes. [19]

Castlemaine Brewery Company (Melbourne) Ltd became a holding company for Carlton and United Breweries, formally continuing to exist until March 1973. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlemaine, Victoria</span> City in Victoria, Australia

Castlemaine is a town in west central Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The population at the 2021 Census was 7,506. Castlemaine was named by the chief goldfield commissioner, Captain W. Wright, in honour of his Irish uncle, Viscount Castlemaine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian gold rush</span> Period in the history of Victoria, Australia

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capital for Melbourne, which was dubbed "Marvellous Melbourne" as a result of the procurement of wealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton & United Breweries</span> Australian beverage manufacturer

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is an Australian brewing company based in Melbourne and owned by Japanese conglomerate Asahi Breweries. Its notable brands include Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Foster's Lager, Great Northern, Resch's, Pure Blonde and Melbourne Bitter.

Edward Hudspeth "Ned" Elliott was a Victorian first-class cricketer, best known as a wicket-keeper and Test match umpire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee palace</span> Type of residential hotel

A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate residential hotel that did not serve alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John James Clark</span> English-Australian architect (1838–1915)

John James Clark, an Australian architect, was born in Liverpool, England. Clark's 30 years in public service, in combination with 33 in private practice, produced some of Australia's most notable public buildings, as well as at least one prominent building in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Fitzgerald (politician)</span> Australian politician

Nicholas Fitzgerald was an Australian brewer, company director and politician. He was co-founder of the Castlemaine brewery in Melbourne, chairman of directors of the Castlemaine Brewery Company (Melbourne) and a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 1864 until 1907.

Edward Fitzgerald was an Australian brewer and solicitor. He was the founder of the Castlemaine Brewery, which went on to have significant operations in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Perkins</span> Australian politician

Hon. Patrick Perkins, J. P.,, nicknamed Paddy Perkins, was a brewer and politician in colonial Queensland. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and, later, a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.

Ball & Welch Pty Ltd was a prominent department store in Melbourne, Australia from the 19th century through to the 1970s. In its heyday, the Ball & Welch department store was Melbourne's leading family draper, its A to Z departments including gloves, umbrellas and handkerchiefs, mantles, furniture, mercery, millinery, furs and corsets. At one time 26 assistants were devoted to the sale of lace alone.

The Castlemaine Brewery was opened in 1896 by Howard Norman Sleigh at Riverside Road in East Fremantle, Western Australia and boasted a successful trading history until 1927 when the company was taken over by the Swan Brewery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion (Australasian company)</span> Alcoholic beverage company operating in Australia and New Zealand, owned by Kirin

Lion is an alcoholic beverage company that operates in Australia and New Zealand, and a subsidiary of Japanese beverage conglomerate Kirin. It produces and markets a range of beer and cider in Australia, and wine in New Zealand and the United States through Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners. It acts as distributors for a range of spirits in New Zealand, but does not own any distilleries outright, although holding a 50% share of Four Pillars Gin in Victoria.

Auguste Joseph François de Bavay was a brewer and industrial chemist in Australia.

Frederick Charles Appleton was an Australian actor, noted as a Shakespearean character actor, a "painstaking studious aspirant for histrionic honours", praised for his "considerable ability and tact". In 1883 he earned an academic degree and became a university lecturer, an unusual conjugation of careers, shared with H. B. Irving.

Thomas Smith Bellair was an English actor who moved to Australia, where he had his own dramatic company before managing various hotels, finally settling in Wagga Wagga, where his family became prominent citizens.

The Castlemaine Brewery was an Australian brewery and brewing company established in 1857 by Edward Fitzgerald. He was joined in the business by his brother Nicholas Fitzgerald in 1859, after which the firm spread rapidly, opening breweries in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane, along with smaller breweries at Daylesford and Newbridge. The breweries, though all originating from the same brothers, were either established or later floated as separate companies with distinct histories thereafter, even though the brothers retained a stake in them.

George Benjamin William Lewis commonly referred to as G. B. W. Lewis, or G. B. Lewis, was an English circus performer, later a circus and theatre entrepreneur in Australia. He married in 1864 the actress and playwright Rose Edouin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. R. Greville</span>

John Rodger Greville was an Irish-born comic actor, singer, songwriter and stage manager who had a long career in Australia.

The Howson family was a show-business dynasty founded in Australia, several of whose members went on to further success in America, London and Europe.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Castlemaine Brewery Company Limited, Melbourne (1885 - 1959?)". Guide to Australian Business Records. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. "MELBOURNE". Hamilton Spectator . No. 1079. Victoria, Australia. 31 July 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 "THE CASTLEMAINE BREWERY, SOUTH MELBOURNE". Record . No. 12338. Victoria, Australia. 22 February 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  4. "COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 12, 034. Victoria, Australia. 16 January 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Advertising". The Herald . No. 2779. Victoria, Australia. 16 January 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "THE CASTLEMAINE BREWERY COMPANY LIMITED". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 12, 184. Victoria, Australia. 11 July 1885. p. 14. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  7. "City and Suburbs". Advocate . Vol. XVI, no. 850. Victoria, Australia. 9 May 1885. p. 20. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  8. 1 2 "MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 18, 103. Victoria, Australia. 22 July 1904. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Advertising". The Herald . No. 4358. Victoria, Australia. 5 February 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Former Castlemaine Brewery". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  11. "Castlemaine Brewing's Malthouse". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  12. "MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 14, 271. Victoria, Australia. 22 March 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  13. "CASTLEMAINE BREWERY". The Herald . No. 8983. Victoria, Australia. 27 July 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Fitzgerald, Nicholas (1829–1908)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN   978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN   1833-7538. OCLC   70677943 . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  15. "CASTLEMAINE BREWERY COMPANY". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 16, 558. Victoria, Australia. 1 August 1899. p. 6. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  16. "CASTLEMAINE BREWERY LIMITED". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 18, 579. Victoria, Australia. 1 February 1906. p. 9. Retrieved 14 August 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  17. "BREWERY AMALGAMATION". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 18, 638. Victoria, Australia. 11 April 1906. p. 7. Retrieved 24 April 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  18. "BREWERIES' POOL". The Australasian . Vol. LXXV, no. 1966. Victoria, Australia. 5 December 1903. p. 39. Retrieved 24 April 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  19. "Report to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee" (PDF). City of Melbourne. Retrieved 14 August 2021.