 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2013) |
| Industry | Brewing |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Tollemache Breweries, Cobbold Breweries |
| Founded | Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Website | tollycobbold |
Tolly Cobbold is a former brewery in Suffolk, England.
The name Tolly Cobbold is an amalgamation of the two family-run brewers: the Tollemache Brewery owned by the Tollemache family and the Cobbold Brewery owned by the Cobbold family.
The original Cobbold brewery was founded in Harwich, Essex in 1723 and in 1746 the Cobbold Cliff Brewery was founded, at Cliff Lane, Ipswich. [1] The current building of 1896 is a tower brewery by William Bradford. [2]
The Tollemache Brewery was founded in 1888 by three sons of John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache. [3] The family acquired Ipswich Brewery from Cullingham & Co. in 1880, the Essex Brewery at Walthamstow in 1920, a controlling share of the Star Brewery, Cambridge in 1930 and full control in 1947. Tollemache and Cobbold merged in 1958 to form Tolly Cobbold. [4]
Peter Scully, head brewer at Tolly Cobbold until his departure in 1977 remarked that the decline in the number of agricultural workers in the Suffolk villages which both breweries served, meant that the two companies had to merge, and where there were two rival pubs, either the Tolly pub or Cobbold pub was closed. [5]
Tolly Cobbold was taken over by Ellerman Lines in 1977 [1] who sold it to the Barclay brothers [6] in 1983 who then sold it to Brent Walker in 1989. [7] Brent Walker announced they would close the brewery for development as a marina, [6] with production of Tolly Cobbold beers to transfer to Camerons Brewery. Brian Cowie and Bob Wales led a management buy-out of the brewery (but not the pubs) for £4m, supported by the Tollemaches and Cobbolds among others. [6]
The brewery was then acquired by Ridley's Brewery in 2002, who closed the Cliff Brewery. [8] Ridley's Brewery was taken over by Suffolk-based Greene King in 2005.
Ridley's continued to brew just one Tolly Cobbold beer, Tolly Original, in Chelmsford. Greene King have not indicated any plans to continue brewing it, but remained a major sponsor of Ipswich Town F.C., [9] which was established by the Cobbold family in 1878. [10]
The Cobbolds have an important status in Ipswich as the family were landowners in the town and surrounding area. John Chevalier Cobbold (1797-1882) was descended from "Big" John Cobbold (1746-1835), a 3rd generation brewer. [11] Christchurch Park was donated to "The people of Ipswich" by the family, along with many other donations of land such as Ipswich Racecourse. The family also provided several Members of Parliament for Ipswich over the years. In addition they have provided five chairmen of Ipswich Town Football Club. [12] Lady Blanche Cobbold was president of the club for many years. ITFC have named a stand in their stadium [13] and a prestigious member's club [14] after the Cobbold family.
Beers in the range included Tolly Original, Cobnut, Tolly Bitter, Tolly Mild, Old Strong, Old Strong Porter (bottle only). Tollyshooter (named in honour of the visit of Sir John Harvey-Jones to the brewery for his television programme Troubleshooter , shortly after the 1990 management takeover) Cantab, Cardinal Ale, Cobbold's Conquest, Cobbold's IPA (a straw-coloured bitter), Beano Stout, Countdown, Election Ale (1997), Suffolk Ale, Final Brew and Last Orders – a final brew in 2002.
For a short time in the 1960s, Tolly Cobbold produced an infamous lager known as Husky Brew, which John Cobbold himself compared to a dog's urine. [15]
Adnams is a regional brewery founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces cask ale and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels.
Bass Brewery is a British brewer founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an annual output of one million barrels. Its pale ale was exported throughout the British Empire, and the company's iconic red triangle became the UK's first registered trade mark.
Greene King is a British pub and brewing company founded in 1799, currently based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The company also owns brands including Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns, as well other pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), until it was acquired by CK Assets in October 2019.
Belhaven Brewery is a brewery based in Belhaven, Scotland. The brewery dates from 1719, at least; by 2005 it had become the largest and oldest surviving independent brewery in Scotland. In November 2005, the Suffolk based brewery Greene King completed a £187 million takeover of the company. The brewery complex is designated Category A listed.
Ridley's Brewery is a defunct brewery. It was founded in 1842, and was located in Hartford End, Essex. In August 2002 the company bought out the Tolly Cobbold brewery. Then, in 2005 Ridley's was bought by Greene King for £45.6 million closing its operations at Hartford End and Braintree and dropping of rivaling beers to their own brands. Ridley's Old Bob continues to be produced by Greene King at Bury St. Edmunds.
McMullen's, known locally as Mac's, is a regional brewery founded in 1827 in Hertford, England, the United Kingdom. The brewery expanded during the second half of the 19th century by purchasing other breweries and their associated pubs. In 1902 it was the second largest brewery in Hertfordshire. The brewery has occupied several different sites in Hertford and moved to its current location in 1891. There have been several breweries on this site and the current one opened in 2006. As of 2021, members of the 6th generation of the McMullen family are still involved with the business.
The Cliff Brewery is a Grade II listed former brewery in Ipswich, England. The building dates to 1896 and was designed by William Bradford.
John Cavendish Cobbold nicknamed "Johnny," was an English businessman and a grandson of Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire. He chaired Ipswich Town F.C. from 1957 to 1976.
Felix Thornley Cobbold was a British banker, barrister and Liberal Party politician. He was a member of the Ipswich Cobbold brewing family but not a brewer himself.
Rattlesden is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) north-west from the county town of Ipswich, with the nearest town Stowmarket 4 miles (6 km) to the east. The parish includes the hamlets of Hightown Green and Poystreet Green.
John Chevallier Cobbold was a British brewer, railway developer and Conservative Party politician.
Camerons Brewery is an English brewery established by John William Cameron in Stranton, Hartlepool, County Durham, in 1865. It is the largest independent brewer in the North East of England, with a brewery capacity of 1.5 million hectolitres and a tied estate of 75 houses. It is one of the oldest industrial concerns in Hartlepool, and has historically been one of the largest employers.
Tollemache Breweries Ltd. was a brewing company which originated in Ipswich in 1888 and became a major brewer in East Anglia before merging with their rival Cobbold and Co. to form Tolly Cobbold in 1957. The brewery was founded by three sons of John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache - Douglas, Stanhope and Mortimer Tollemache - who bought the Cullingham Brewery in Upper Brooke Street. This had been established as a Steam Brewery in 1856 by Charles Cullingham. Douglas Tollemache was keen to ensure a high quality product.
A tower brewery is a distinct form of brewery, identified by its external buildings being arranged in the form of a vertical tower.
The Margaret Catchpole is a pub in Cliff Lane, Ipswich in Suffolk, England. It is named after Margaret Catchpole, a servant of Elizabeth and John Cobbold of the Tolly Cobbold brewery. Built in 1936 by the local architect Harold Ridley Hooper for the Cobbold brewery, it is a Grade II* listed building. Most of its interior features have remained unaltered since the 1930s, making it one of the finest examples of this period in England. Since 2003 it has been part of the Holywells Park Conservation Area.
Thomas Cobbold was an English brewer who established a family brewery in Ipswich. The Cobbold family went on to become one of the most influential families in Ipswich.
Thomas Cobbold was an English brewer in Harwich and Ipswich; he succeeded to the family brewing business founded by his father, also Thomas Cobbold.
Sophie de Ronde is a British brewer. She has been head brewer of Suffolk-based Burnt Mill Brewery since 2017, and previously brewed at Brentwood Brewing Company between 2007 and 2014. In 2019, she was named "Brewer of the Year" by the British Guild of Beer Writers. De Ronde is the founder of the International Women's Collaboration Brew Day as well as being a co-founder of Beer Day Britain. Unusually for a brewer, she is unable to drink most beer as she is allergic to wheat and barley.
Clive Hodges: Cobbold & Kin: Life Stories from an East Anglian Family (Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 2014) ISBN 9781843839545