Camerons Brewery
Encyclopedia
Camerons Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1865 by John William Cameron in Hartlepool
, County Durham
.
s. This prospered and, by 1907, the share capital of the company was £350,000 with another £350,000 of capital in the form mortgage debenture stock. The business was steadily expanded from 1895 to 1961 with a series of acquisitions in and around North Yorkshire and County Durham
:
In 1967 the company had a market capitalization of £6.7 million, or almost £100 million in 2010 prices. The company had 750 licensed public houses in 1974 when it was acquired by the Ellerman Lines
which was diversifying from its declining shipping business. Ellerman Lines was then acquired by the Barclay brothers in 1983 who then sold the company to Brent Walker Group plc. In 1985 Cameron's held 5 per cent of the North East of England beer market. In 1989, it controlled 480 licensed public houses and 270 hotel
s and off-licences. It was bought by Wolverhampton & Dudley in 1992, and then Castle Eden in 2001 who merged the Castle Eden Brewery with Camerons, closing down the Castle Eden plant.
and bottled beers, most famously Strongarm, a 4% abv
bitter
.
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
.
History
The Lion Brewery was founded by William Waldon for its pure water drawn from an artesian well in 1854. This same well supplies the modern brewery today. In 1895 the company went public and owned 50 licensed public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s. This prospered and, by 1907, the share capital of the company was £350,000 with another £350,000 of capital in the form mortgage debenture stock. The business was steadily expanded from 1895 to 1961 with a series of acquisitions in and around North Yorkshire and County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
:
- 1895 — Rickinson & Sons Ltd of Hartlepool.
- 1895 — Nixey, Coleclough and Baxter Ltd who owned the BrunswickBrunswick VillageBrunswick Village is a village in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is situated approximately 6 miles north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and borders Hazlerigg, Dinnington and Wideopen. It was formerly known as Dinnington Colliery.-History:...
Brewery in Hartlepool. This was closed in 1898. - 1896 — E J Sait of Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
. - 1898 — T E Chapman & Sons of Sunderland who owned the LambtonLambton, Tyne and WearLambton is a village in Washington, Tyne and Wear, North East, England. It lies about northeast of Chester-le-Street. It is historically linked to the Lambton family, Lambton Castle and being the home of the Lambton Worm....
Brewery and 100 licensed public houses. - 1909 — J Heslop & Son of Norton-on-Tees who owned 77 licensed public houses.
- 1919 — Robert Newton & Co Ltd of Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
who owned the Victoria Brewery. - 1925 — Plew & Sons Ltd who owned various businesses in County DurhamCounty DurhamCounty Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and the Vale of MowbrayVale of MowbrayThe Vale of Mowbray is a stretch of low lying land between the North Yorkshire Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west...
Brewery in YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. - 1953 — John J Hunt Ltd who owned the Ebor Brewery in YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and 220 licensed public houses. - 1956 — J Fryer & Sons Ltd who owned the Crown Brewery in Brompton-on-SwaleBrompton-on-SwaleBrompton-on-Swale is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is located three miles east of Richmond. Its name comes from the fact that the River Swale is very close to the town...
- 1959 — the West Auckland Brewery Co Ltd of West AucklandWest AucklandWest Auckland is a village in County Durham, in North East England. It is situated to the west of Bishop Auckland, on the A688 road.It is not known exactly when West Auckland was first inhabited, but there is evidence of Auckland West in the history of St. Cuthbert in the 11th century...
with 80 licensed public houses. - 1961 — Russell & Wrangham Ltd of MaltonMalton, North YorkshireMalton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....
with 90 licensed public houses.
In 1967 the company had a market capitalization of £6.7 million, or almost £100 million in 2010 prices. The company had 750 licensed public houses in 1974 when it was acquired by the Ellerman Lines
Ellerman Lines
Ellerman Lines was a cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late nineteenth century, and continued to expand with the acquisition of smaller shipping lines until it became one of the largest shipping...
which was diversifying from its declining shipping business. Ellerman Lines was then acquired by the Barclay brothers in 1983 who then sold the company to Brent Walker Group plc. In 1985 Cameron's held 5 per cent of the North East of England beer market. In 1989, it controlled 480 licensed public houses and 270 hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and off-licences. It was bought by Wolverhampton & Dudley in 1992, and then Castle Eden in 2001 who merged the Castle Eden Brewery with Camerons, closing down the Castle Eden plant.
Production
In 2010, the business was ranked highly for its profit growth of 58% over the previous three years. At this time, the brewery had a capacity of 500,000 barrels per annum. The bulk of the production is cask ale but it is expanding its sales of bottled ale for export to Germany and Denmark. The company brews a range of caskCask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
and bottled beers, most famously Strongarm, a 4% abv
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
.