Devenish Brewery

Devenish Brewery, also known as J. A. Devenish & Co. Ltd, was a brewery in Weymouth, Dorset, England, that was founded in 1821 by William Devenish. It primarily operated from Weymouth's Hope Square, but also had a facility at Redruth, Cornwall. Devenish was sold to Greenalls in 1993.

Brewers Quay seen in 1987, two years after brewing had ceased there.

History

Devenish Brewery originated with the Flew Brewery, which had operated from Hope Square since 1742.[1] William Devenish acquired a lease of the brewery in 1821 and then purchased it three years later. The brewery retained the Flew name until 1851, when it was changed to J. A. Devenish & Co. Ltd.[2] The company acquired the Cornish Brewery Co. Ltd at Redruth in 1934 (later renamed Devenish Redruth Brewery Co Ltd in 1960) and the Weymouth-based rival Groves & Sons Ltd in 1960.[1][3]

Devenish faced financial difficulties by the 1980s,[4] and brewing ceased at Hope Square in November 1985.[5] Following its closure, Devenish and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council launched a major plan to transform the building into a shopping centre with a pub and restaurant.[6] Devenish spent £4.5 million on refurbishing the building and transforming it into Brewers Quay, which opened in June 1990. The new complex was hailed as "the Covent Garden of Dorset" and received numerous awards and commendations.[7]

Meanwhile, in February 1986, Devenish merged with Inn Leisure,[4] and brewing was concentrated at the Redruth facility.[3] The site was sold to new operators in June 1991 and renamed Redruth Brewery (closed in 2004).[8][9] Devenish remained active as a pub company and distributor until 1993, when it was sold for £214 million to Greenalls.[4][10]

References
  1. "Brewers Quay, Weymouth, Dorset | Educational Images". Historic England. 2002-09-17. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  2. Edgell, Tim; Bone, Mike (2016-04-15). Brewing in Dorset - Tim Edgell, Mike Bone - Google Books. ISBN 9781445657325. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  3. Richmond, Lesley; Turton, Alison (1990). The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records - Google Books. ISBN 9780719030321. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  4. Author Boak & Bailey (2013-11-30). "Newquay Steam: Cornwall's Own Beer". Boakandbailey.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  5. Joanna Davis. "LOOKING BACK: Remembering the glory beers at Hope Square, Weymouth". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  6. "Brewers Quay in Weymouth". Visit-weymouth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  7. "20th anniversary for Brewers Quay". Dorset Echo. UK: Dorsetecho.co.uk. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  8. "Merger Yearbook: International - Google Books". 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  9. "Redruth's derelict brewery to be 'transformed' - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  10. "Estate of independents". Thecaterer.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
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