Morrells Brewing Company

Morrells Brewing Company was a brewery in Oxford, England, which operated under that name between 1782 and 1998. The brewery was founded in 1743 by Richard Tawney. He formed a partnership in 1782 with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners.^[1] Morrells' range of ales included "Varsity".^{[citation needed]}

Morrells brewed its ales at the Lion Brewery in St Thomas Street. In the 19th century Morrells redeveloped and added to the Lion Brewery a number of times. A large brewing shed was added in 1879, a blacksmith's shop and engine house in 1880, a futther shed and new yard in 1882, stables in 1889, new offices in 1892, a tun room in 1895, further offices in 1897 and a tall octagonal chimney in 1901.^[2] All these developments were designed by the local architect Harry Drinkwater,^[2] who also designed a number of public houses for Morrells.^[3] The Lion Brewery was powered by a waterwheel on a backwater of the River Thames, supplemented by steam engines for which the engine house was built.^[2]

After an acrimonious family dispute the brewery was closed in 1998,^[4] the beer brand names being taken over by the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood brewery,^[5] while the 132 tied pubs were bought by Michael Cannon, owner of the American hamburger chain Fuddruckers, through a new company, Morrells of Oxford.^[6] The new owner sold most of the pubs on to Greene King in 2002.^[7]

The Lion Brewery site was redeveloped for luxury apartments in 2002.^[8] The waterwheel and tall, yellow brick chimney were retained but only the façades were retained of the other buildings.^[2]

References

1. ^ "History of Headington, Oxford". Headington.org.uk. 2009-04-19. http://www.headington.org.uk/history/famous_people/morrellfamily.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Woolley, 2010, page 79
3. ^ Tyack, 1998, page 269
4. ^ "Morrells Brewery up for sale". Archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk. http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/1998/7/9/85120.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
5. ^ "Morrells Brewery Ltd". Quaffale.org.uk. 2001-09-22. http://www.quaffale.org.uk/php/brewery/479. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
6. ^ "Jericho Echo". Pstalker.com. http://www.pstalker.com/echo/f_45a.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
7. ^ "Brewer buys pub chain for £67 million". BBC News. 2002-06-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/2051362.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 
8. ^ "Brewery site plan nears final hurdle". Archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk. 2001-02-19. http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/2001/2/19/69009.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. 

Sources and further reading

• Allen, Brigid (1994). Morrells of Oxford: The Family and Their Brewery 1743-1993. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0750906340. 
• Tyack, Geoffrey (1998). Oxford An Architectural Guide. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 269. ISBN 0-19-817423-3. 
• Woolley, Liz (2010). "Industrial Architecture in Oxford, 1870 to 1914". Oxoniensia (Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society) LXXV: 79. ISSN 0308-5562. 

External links

• Early history of the Morrells family.