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31-03-2012, 07:08
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-scottish-brewing-industry.html)
The title says it all. In an easy to digest table form I'll be showing how the Scottish brewing industry all but disappeared in the space of a few years at the end of the 1950's and beginning of the 1960's.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETE3eZiTNLM/T3LL4ucRj2I/AAAAAAAAI1I/1wd4XPVE2EI/s320/Ballingalls_Export_Ale_2.JPG (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETE3eZiTNLM/T3LL4ucRj2I/AAAAAAAAI1I/1wd4XPVE2EI/s1600/Ballingalls_Export_Ale_2.JPG)
There were two main motors of rationalisation: Scottish Brewers (later Scottish & Newcastle) and Eddie Taylor's United Breweries (one of the foundation stones of Bass Charrington). Though eventually all of Britain's Big Six brewers, with the exception of Courage, got a piece of the pie. Whitbread and Watney came late to the table and scraped up the few remaining scraps. And, of course, regional brewer Vaux, who already had considerable trade in Scotland, picked up a surprisingly large share.
As you can see in the table below, most breweries didn't stay open long after purchase. Most closed within a few months. For those that did continue to brew, it was mostly only a stay of execution. Only three of the breweries in the table remain open: Belhaven, Caledonian and Tennent. Odd that Scottish & Newcastle, with its roots north of the border, should have closed every one of its Scottish breweries.
Given John Calder's long association with both Arrol's and Allsopp (later Ind Coope and Allsopp then Allied Breweries), it's slightly odd that his firm should have ended up in the Bass Charrington camp. Allied themselves missedout on the takeover frenzy, contenting themselves with the Arrol's brewery that they had owned since 1930.
By 1970, only two breweries remained independent: Maclay and Belhaven. The former abandonned brewing in 1999, turning itself into a pub company. The latter eventually fell prey to an English firm, Greene King, in 2005.
How the Scottish brewing industry disappeared
Company
Brewery
Town
Total Capital £
Takeover Company
Date of Takeover
closed
Brewery group
Aitchison
Canongate
Edinburgh
400,000
Hammonds UBs.
1959
1961
Bass Charrington
Aitken
Falkirk
Falkirk
927,000
United Bs.
1960
1966
Bass Charrington
Arrol
Alloa
Alloa
Allsopp
1930
1998
Allied
Ballingall
Park, Pleasance
Dundee
75,000
1964
Bernard
New Edinburgh
Edinburgh
1,075,000
Scottish Bs.
1960
1960
Scottish & Newcastle
Blair
Townhead
Alloa
200,000
G. Younger
1959
1959
Bass Charrington
Calder
Shore
Alloa
525,000
United Bs.
1960
1961 (1921)
Bass Charrington
Campbell, Hope & King
Argyle
Edinburgh
250,000
Whitbread
1967
1970
Whitbread
James Deuchar
Lochside
Montrose
Newcastle Bs.
1956
1956
Scottish & Newcastle
Robert Deuchar
Duddingston
Edinburgh
Newcastle Bs.
1954
1961
Scottish & Newcastle
Drybrough
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
300,000
Watney Mann
1965
1987
Watney
Dudgeon
Belhaven
Dunbar
-
Fowler
Prestonpans
Prestonpans
300,000
United Bs.
1960
1962
Bass Charrington
Gordon & Blair
Craigwell
Edinburgh
Mackay
1954
1953
Watney
Jeffrey
Heriot
Edinburgh
280,000
United Bs.
1960
1992
Bass Charrington
Lorimer & Clark
Caledonian
Edinburgh
100,000
Vaux
1947
Vaux
Mackay
St.Leonard's
Edinburgh
-
Watney Mann
1963
1963
Watney
Maclay
Thistle
Alloa
150,000
1999
Maclachlan
Castle
Edinburgh
600,000
Tennent
1960
1966
Bass Charrington
MacLennan & Urquhart
Dalkeith
Dalkeith
-
Aitchison
1955
1958
Bass Charrington
McEwan
Fountain
Edinburgh
1,000,000
Scottish Bs.
1931
2005
Scottish & Newcastle
Morison
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
-
Scottish Bs.
1960
1960
Scottish & Newcastle
Murray
Craigmillar
Edinburgh
375,000
United Bs.
1960
1963
Bass Charrington
Steel, Coulson
Croft-an-Righ
Edinburgh
140,000
Vaux
1959
1960
Vaux
Tennent
Wellpark
Glasgow
2,250,000
Charrington
1963
Bass Charrington
Wright
Perth
Perth
-
Vaux
1961
1961
Vaux
Young
Ladywell
Musselburgh
30,000
Whitbread
1968
1969
Whitbread
G. Younger
Candleriggs
Alloa
750,000
United Bs.
1960
1963
Bass Charrington
R. Younger
St. Ann's
Edinburgh
580,000
Scottish Bs.
1960
1961
Scottish & Newcastle
W. Younger
Abbey, Holyrood
Edinburgh
1,000,000
Scottish Bs.
1931
1986
Scottish & Newcastle
Usher
Park
Edinburgh
403,000
Vaux
1960
1981
Vaux
Sources:
Brewery Manual 1955, 1960, 1965 (via "A History of the Brewing Industry in Scotland" by Ian Donnachie, 1998, page 240.)
"A Century of British Brewers", Barber, 2005.
Scottish Brewing Archive website
There's one firm in the table that wasn't taken over: Ballingall. They just gave up brewing in 1964, though continued to supply their 7 pubs with beer from Drybrough until finally closing the business in 1968.
The process of rationalisation and closure in Scotland was an extreme, more concentrated form of what happened in England during the 1950's and 1960's. Except in England many independent companies not only survived but later thrived. Who has disappeared? The large brewing groups that were the result of the takeover frenzy. There's a lesson to be learned there.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-9196014820858315524?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-scottish-brewing-industry.html)
The title says it all. In an easy to digest table form I'll be showing how the Scottish brewing industry all but disappeared in the space of a few years at the end of the 1950's and beginning of the 1960's.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETE3eZiTNLM/T3LL4ucRj2I/AAAAAAAAI1I/1wd4XPVE2EI/s320/Ballingalls_Export_Ale_2.JPG (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ETE3eZiTNLM/T3LL4ucRj2I/AAAAAAAAI1I/1wd4XPVE2EI/s1600/Ballingalls_Export_Ale_2.JPG)
There were two main motors of rationalisation: Scottish Brewers (later Scottish & Newcastle) and Eddie Taylor's United Breweries (one of the foundation stones of Bass Charrington). Though eventually all of Britain's Big Six brewers, with the exception of Courage, got a piece of the pie. Whitbread and Watney came late to the table and scraped up the few remaining scraps. And, of course, regional brewer Vaux, who already had considerable trade in Scotland, picked up a surprisingly large share.
As you can see in the table below, most breweries didn't stay open long after purchase. Most closed within a few months. For those that did continue to brew, it was mostly only a stay of execution. Only three of the breweries in the table remain open: Belhaven, Caledonian and Tennent. Odd that Scottish & Newcastle, with its roots north of the border, should have closed every one of its Scottish breweries.
Given John Calder's long association with both Arrol's and Allsopp (later Ind Coope and Allsopp then Allied Breweries), it's slightly odd that his firm should have ended up in the Bass Charrington camp. Allied themselves missedout on the takeover frenzy, contenting themselves with the Arrol's brewery that they had owned since 1930.
By 1970, only two breweries remained independent: Maclay and Belhaven. The former abandonned brewing in 1999, turning itself into a pub company. The latter eventually fell prey to an English firm, Greene King, in 2005.
How the Scottish brewing industry disappeared
Company
Brewery
Town
Total Capital £
Takeover Company
Date of Takeover
closed
Brewery group
Aitchison
Canongate
Edinburgh
400,000
Hammonds UBs.
1959
1961
Bass Charrington
Aitken
Falkirk
Falkirk
927,000
United Bs.
1960
1966
Bass Charrington
Arrol
Alloa
Alloa
Allsopp
1930
1998
Allied
Ballingall
Park, Pleasance
Dundee
75,000
1964
Bernard
New Edinburgh
Edinburgh
1,075,000
Scottish Bs.
1960
1960
Scottish & Newcastle
Blair
Townhead
Alloa
200,000
G. Younger
1959
1959
Bass Charrington
Calder
Shore
Alloa
525,000
United Bs.
1960
1961 (1921)
Bass Charrington
Campbell, Hope & King
Argyle
Edinburgh
250,000
Whitbread
1967
1970
Whitbread
James Deuchar
Lochside
Montrose
Newcastle Bs.
1956
1956
Scottish & Newcastle
Robert Deuchar
Duddingston
Edinburgh
Newcastle Bs.
1954
1961
Scottish & Newcastle
Drybrough
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
300,000
Watney Mann
1965
1987
Watney
Dudgeon
Belhaven
Dunbar
-
Fowler
Prestonpans
Prestonpans
300,000
United Bs.
1960
1962
Bass Charrington
Gordon & Blair
Craigwell
Edinburgh
Mackay
1954
1953
Watney
Jeffrey
Heriot
Edinburgh
280,000
United Bs.
1960
1992
Bass Charrington
Lorimer & Clark
Caledonian
Edinburgh
100,000
Vaux
1947
Vaux
Mackay
St.Leonard's
Edinburgh
-
Watney Mann
1963
1963
Watney
Maclay
Thistle
Alloa
150,000
1999
Maclachlan
Castle
Edinburgh
600,000
Tennent
1960
1966
Bass Charrington
MacLennan & Urquhart
Dalkeith
Dalkeith
-
Aitchison
1955
1958
Bass Charrington
McEwan
Fountain
Edinburgh
1,000,000
Scottish Bs.
1931
2005
Scottish & Newcastle
Morison
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
-
Scottish Bs.
1960
1960
Scottish & Newcastle
Murray
Craigmillar
Edinburgh
375,000
United Bs.
1960
1963
Bass Charrington
Steel, Coulson
Croft-an-Righ
Edinburgh
140,000
Vaux
1959
1960
Vaux
Tennent
Wellpark
Glasgow
2,250,000
Charrington
1963
Bass Charrington
Wright
Perth
Perth
-
Vaux
1961
1961
Vaux
Young
Ladywell
Musselburgh
30,000
Whitbread
1968
1969
Whitbread
G. Younger
Candleriggs
Alloa
750,000
United Bs.
1960
1963
Bass Charrington
R. Younger
St. Ann's
Edinburgh
580,000
Scottish Bs.
1960
1961
Scottish & Newcastle
W. Younger
Abbey, Holyrood
Edinburgh
1,000,000
Scottish Bs.
1931
1986
Scottish & Newcastle
Usher
Park
Edinburgh
403,000
Vaux
1960
1981
Vaux
Sources:
Brewery Manual 1955, 1960, 1965 (via "A History of the Brewing Industry in Scotland" by Ian Donnachie, 1998, page 240.)
"A Century of British Brewers", Barber, 2005.
Scottish Brewing Archive website
There's one firm in the table that wasn't taken over: Ballingall. They just gave up brewing in 1964, though continued to supply their 7 pubs with beer from Drybrough until finally closing the business in 1968.
The process of rationalisation and closure in Scotland was an extreme, more concentrated form of what happened in England during the 1950's and 1960's. Except in England many independent companies not only survived but later thrived. Who has disappeared? The large brewing groups that were the result of the takeover frenzy. There's a lesson to be learned there.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-9196014820858315524?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-scottish-brewing-industry.html)