Comments on: At The Truman Brewery, 1931

By: Jo Amey

Jo Amey — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 21:06:46 +0000

Great article and photos. I am trying to find images of the interior of The Jolly Butchers at the moment, post 1885 if possible. I study tiles made by Carter and Co of Poole and recently found a newspaper report dated 1885 about a tile panel showing Bartlemy Fair that they painted for the pub. Too much to hope that it still exists under panelling in the property but if I could find any records that would be fantastic.

By: Lesley Spencer

Lesley Spencer — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 22:14:01 +0000

I believe my Grandad (Joseph Spencer) and his two brothers worked as Drayman, Cooper and electrician. Would love it if their were some photos. Lxx I would recognise my grandad.

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 20:57:04 +0000

Objection sent! Thank you, GA, for organizing community resistance to senseless corporatisation of our urban space.

By: Jill Wilson

Jill Wilson — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:24:18 +0000

These are really interesting to me as my grandfather was head brewer at the Westerham Brewery – also called the Black Eagle Brewery. I wonder why that name was popular, or if there was any direct connection?

Spookily enough he would have started there at just about the time that these photos were taken but his brewery was nothing like the scale of the Truman Brewery. However it did seem enormous to me as a child, and I remember walking around above a massive container – a ‘wort’ perhaps – where there was no safety rail, and the sickly sweet smell of the malt brewing.

But what we really loved was the brewery cat – a very old tabby called Tatty…

By: John C. Miles

John C. Miles — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 12:55:21 +0000

Thank you GA for a fascinating post! I learned from ‘The Repair Shop’ last week that there is only one Master Cooper left in the UK. How sad – once all kinds of things were packed in wooden barrels and surely this would be a more environmentally-friendly alternative to all the metal and plastics used now.

By: paul loften

paul loften — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 11:24:29 +0000

Ideal weather for a cold beer today ! but not a pub in sight. The likelihood grows with the daily news reports, that the only glass you’ll see in Spitalfields is a glass and concrete box-like structures

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 08:48:00 +0000

Interesting to think that ‘gravity feed’ was always the case. It still is at Hook Norton [Hooky], where a steam engine pumps/lifts everything to the top floor and then it’s gravity all the way. We waste so much energy these days …

By: Rita Roberts

Rita Roberts — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 07:01:14 +0000

What a fabulous post, thank you for all the wonderful pictures and descriptions of the process. I remember as a young girl going to school along Bath Row Birmingham stopping to watch the bottles rotating round on some sort of platform being washed. This was at Davenports where the slogan used to be “Beer at home means Davenports” Ah memories !