Hull Brewery was founded in 1888 inHull, England. It was taken over byNorthern Foods in 1972 and byMansfield Brewery in 1985.
In 1782 Thomas Ward and John Firbank built a brewery on the corner ofPosterngate and Dagger Lane. Ward's granddaughters, Ann and Mary, inherited the brewery. Mary married shipbuilder Robert Gleadow in 1796, and their son, Robert Ward Gleadow, continued the brewing business. In 1846 Gleadow went into partnership with another brewer, William Thomas Dibb, to form Gleadow, Dibb and Co. Gleadow died in 1857 and was succeeded by his son, Henry Cooper Gleadow. Gleadow, Dibb and Co. became a limited company in 1885.[1]
In 1866 Gleadow, Dibb and Co. started work on a new, purpose-built brewery in Silvester Street. This entailed demolishing the existing buildings there; fixtures and fittings from these were sold at auction in February 1867.[2] Builders were invited to tender for the construction work in March 1867,[3] and the company moved to the new premises in 1868.[1] The new brewery had the capacity of fermenting 24,000 gallons ofwort at a time.[4] William Thomas Dibb died in 1886 on ajourney between Bridlington and Hull; he had rushed to catch a train atBridlington, causing the guard to stop the train so that he could board. By the time the train arrived inDriffield he was found dead, still sitting upright in his seat.[5] Frederic Gleadow was elected to the board of directors to replace him. The company continued to expand.[1]
In 1887 Gleadow, Dibb and Co. Ltd. was wound up, and a new company, "The Hull Brewery Company Limited", was formed. The company embarked on a period of increased expansion, acquiring other brewers and bottlers, purchasinglicensed houses and enlarging the Silvester Street site. By 1890 they were recorded as owning 160licensed houses. Trade dropped off during theFirst World War, but by 1919 the company was able to buy two more local breweries along with their public houses. In 1925, it acquired Sutton, Bean and Company, aLincolnshire brewery. Beer was transported bybarge across theHumber.
TheSecond World War led to another drop in trade, and many of the company's properties were damaged or destroyed during theHull Blitz. The Silvester Street brewery, however, remained intact, possibly because the Germanbomber pilots used its chimneys as a landmark.
In 1949 the company began producing "Anchor Export", a strong beer, designed to keep and travel well so that it could be taken aboard ships as part of their provisions. It was sold in bottles and cans.
The company was taken over byNorthern Dairies in 1972 and the name was changed again to North Country Breweries. However, by 1982, due to the decline in consumption and the changing tastes of the beer-drinking public, the parent company decided to divest, and North Country Breweries was purchased byMansfield Brewery.[6] Brewing at the Silvester Street site ceased in 1985.[1]