LION BREWERY
Anglesea Road and Station Road Shirley.
Also Welsh’s lion brewery
Brewing started 1847
Brewing ceased possibly 1878.
This brewery is not to be confused with the Lion brewery in Winchester. Our brewery was in Anglesea Road Shirley, (1865-1868 map) with a frontage also to Lion Road (as reported in 1884) which perhaps gave this business its name. This would later become Station Road.
Directories from 1847 and 1848 show John Sheppard, as a brewer of Apsley Villa Shirley. No reference is made to the name of the brewery but in 1848, as we shall see, there is reference to John Sheppard in Bankruptcy “Proprietor of the Lion Brewery”.
His tenure was short lived as he became bankrupt in 1848 and the contents of the brewery were put up for sale. The Hampshire Independent of 19 February 1848 advertises an auction “(under a distraint for rent and a fiat in Bankruptcy,)” upon the Premises known as the "Lion Brewery," Shirley. near Southampton. The auction was for the whole of the stock in trade and brewing utensils of the three 120-barrel store casks made of English oak (within the last three years), and of first rate workmanship, about 200 good sound beer casks in puncheons, barrels, kilderkins and firkins, 8 strong working stillions 100 barrels of porter, 60 barrels of old ale, 25 pockets of prime new Kent hops, powerful bay dray horse, five years old, a set of strong brass-mounted harness, a brewers dray (nearly new), a strong cart etc. and household furniture.
Note the sale is of the contents, not the building or premises, and ordered as a result of rent arrears, so Sheppard was simply renting the building. At a bankruptcy examination reported on 25th March 1848, it was said that most of his money was taken by a Mortgagee, Rev Bolton Brandon for £3,590, presumably against his private residence. (his landlord was also the Rev B Brander, as confirmed later). In July 1848 a Dividend meeting re John Sheppard in Bankruptcy “Proprietor of the Lion Brewery” was adjourned to 19th December, with reported debts of £300 and assets realised of between £300 and £400.
The premises were empty as confirmed in a Court case reported on 25th March 1848, which refers to the prisoner trying to get cash; “to get goods from the Lion Brewery Shirley”. The reply was that the “Lion brewery had not been taken it was still unoccupied”. In May 1848 there was an advert for the sale of, “a ten horse power steam engine 15 horse power boiler 3 brewing coppers 2 malt mills”.
The next entry I can find is 10 years later in the 1857 directory which lists A W Waters as a brewer, but at Bevois Street Shirley. By 1859, A W Waters is listed as a brewer at Lion Street Shirley’. Was the brewery closed until then? He did not stay long as by 1861 there was an A W Walters at the Oriental Arms East Street, (see the Oriental Arms page). Is ‘Waters’ and ‘Walters’ in fact the same person?
Francis Robert Welsh then takes over, and in the 1863 Post Office directory he is shown as being at the Lion Brewery Winchester Road Shirley, until 1871. His address is given as Anglesea Road in 1869 and as Apsley Villa Anglesea Road in 1891. He was from Folkestone, Kent originally and in the 1851 Census he is shown as a brewer employing two men, and was aged 30. His father was Henry Welsh who was at the Apollo (see the Apollo brewery page) so it is possible he worked there before coming over to the Lion Brewery. He is variously Frederick, or Francis Welsh, or Welch in some references.
It will be seen that there was also a brewer, John Waters at Apollo Inn so perhaps there is a connection between the two businesses, with A W Waters laying the ground for Francis Welsh. Perhaps this was long established and helps explain the ‘missing’ 10 years?
In the 1871 Census Francis is aged 51, a brewer with a son Frank, also a brewer, and Henry E, a son aged 19 (named after his grandfather it appears) who is a brewers Clerk. Their address is at 102 Anglesea Road.
The Landlord of the brewery was the Rev B Brander. The Lease of the brewery was granted in 1865 for 23 years to Mr Welsh at a rent of £137.10s pa. By the 28th June 1873, there was another sale by auction, this time for the freehold property known as the Lion Brewery with plant and “the neat villa residence adjoining thereto known as Apsley Villa Shirley. Whole is let on a repairing lease 15 years unexpired as at Midsummer 1873 at a rent of £137. 10s pa”. This was a sale by the Landlord, subject to the lease.
The Welsh family were still in business in October that year, as there is a report of a severe accident involving Mr F Welsh, son of Mr F R Welsh of the Lion Brewery, having been thrown from his dog cart.
In July 1874 there was an advert to let the premises as an ale house. The following year, on 27th June 1875 Francis Robert Welsh, late of Shirley, brewer passed away, and in the following month there appears an advert for the lease of a steam brewery with 31 tied houses in full work to be disposed of in consequence of the death of the proprietor. Capital required was about £5,000, apply to the executors at Lion Steam Brewery Shirley Southampton.
The family were still involved as on 31st July 1875 when it was announced that the Messrs Welsh sent from the Lion brewery all the hot water for making tea at the Shirley National Day.
The lease was taken over by Charles Henry Robinson who appears in the 1877 and 1878 directories as a brewer at the Lion Brewery Station Road. His private address was Apsley Villa, where all previous brewers had lived. In November 1877 he had adverts in the papers which ran; ‘C H Robinson & Co Lion Brewery Shirley brewers of pale and mild ales porter and stout. The special Pale Ale at 1s 2d is particularly recommended. A liberal discount for cash’. In a Court report in January 1878, Thomas Charles Robinson is described as a brewer in Shirley.
By 1879, ownership had changed again. In newspapers of August 1879 application was made for a licence for the Engineers Arms, “the premises being rented from Messrs Venables & Co of the Lion Brewery Shirley…” By the 1880 Hampshire Directory, Arthur Frank Venables is shown at the Lion Brewery Shirley.
Unfortunately, his ownership also did not last long as by September 1881 we see a notice of ‘Liquidation’ of A F Venables Shirley Brewer and aerated water manufacturer. In newspapers of 15th October that year there is notice of a liquidation sale on 25th October of the Lion brewery Shirley. This was for the whole of the rolling stock, loose plant, vans, horses etc. comprising about 300 casks of various sizes 11, 17ft stillions, 2 Nicholl’s patent syphons, a weighing machine, a set of patent saccharometers with sliding scale by Dring and Fage, screw top press etc., 3 good horses, a large brewers van, a brewers’ dray, cart, and fireproof safe.
The February 1882 account of the bankruptcy hearing re Arthur Frank Venables states that the landlord of the brewery was the Rev B Brander. The trustees of Venables estate wanted to disclaim the lease, granted in 1865 for 23 years and assigned to him in 1878. The lease was originally granted to Francis Robert Welsh at a rent of £137.10s pa, and in 1878 it was assigned to Venables under an arrangement between him and Charles Henry Robinson. The trustee, sold the plant when he was appointed. There was a dispute as allegations were made that he had sold landlord’s fittings as well as plant. He had paid rent to Michaelmasand “having made the place a complete wreck” now wanted to disclaim. The hearing was adjourned, and at that hearing it was agreed that disclaimer would take place if rent was paid with £6.4s for insurance and £10 damages for the sale of landlord fixtures.
Disputes continued despite the transfer from Robinson to Venables. In November 1882 in the report of a Court case, Charles Edward Robinson brewer sued Mr Burke for rent owed for the Carpenters Arms, Craven Street. He lived in Paynes Road Freemantle “and is a brewer”. Mr Burke admitted he owed rent, but not to Robinson but to Venables who let the house to him and “as he had failed the property reverted to the present plaintiff, who was the original Landlord”. The case was adjourned so the Trustees of Venables could be joined.
I know what you are thinking. The plaintiff was Charles EDWARD Robinson but the owner was Charles HENRY Robinson. Perhaps the business was run by two brothers? Unlikely given they both had the same first name. Father and son? or just a ‘typo’?
In newspapers of 29th January 1883 there was an open letter from C H Robinson. He wanted to point out the dangerous state of the Lion Brewery in the interest of personal safety. He reported that “every window in both the house and brewery is broken, and the large gates in Station Road have been stolen; but worse than this the flans on the well (almost in the track now made through the yard) have been taken from their hinges and thrown down amongst the pumping machinery in the Well. A fall down there would go well-nigh to a horrible death”. A cover over a trap in the yard had also gone risking a broken leg for anyone who trod on it. He did not know who was now responsible for this “danger and disgrace”.
On 9th February 1884 there appears an auction notice for the sale of the freehold property known as the Lion Brewery with cottage stabling and store cellar with Villa residence known as Apsley Villa Anglesea Road Shirley. This was to be offered as one lot. It was later described as having a frontage of about 78 ft. to Anglesea Road and 80ft or so to Station Road and an average depth of 393 ft. On 1st March 1884 there is confirmation that it had sold for £920 on 26th February.
The owner did not want the contents as on 10th August that year there was an advert for the auction of the 10 HP steam engine, 15 HP boiler, 3 brewing Coppers, 2 malt mills, a large lead lined cistern, 4 refrigerators, one nearly new by Pontifex and others, metal liquor pump, mash tun, iron tanks, a three barrel well, pump, piping and gear 3 large VATs, portable forge etc. etc.
The final reference appears on 15th October 1884 when it was announced that the Lion Brewery was purchased ‘some months ago’ by Mr Habershon of Shirley who impressed by the work of the Salvation army, had erected a large hall which could hold 1000 persons, and leased it to the Salvation Army.
We can conclude he bought the premises, sold the contents, and then partly or wholly demolished what appears to have been a dilapidated building, and erected a new hall. As to when brewing ceased, Tony Gallagher in his book ‘Southampton’s inns and taverns’ says the brewery ceased in 1878. Clearly the name survived the transfer from Robinson to Venables, and perhaps the business was continuing up to 1882, as the tenant of the Carpenters Arms was sued for rent.
I have seen reference during my research to the disposal of a number of ‘pubs’ in 1878 so perhaps Robinson sold a number of pubs before selling to Venables, who took over a ‘scaled back’ business.