Devenish & Co. Ltd Rectangular Tin

Devenish & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the early 1970s.The Flew Brewery had operated on Hope Square in Weymouth since 1742. Wiiliam Devenish acquired the lease in 1821 then purchased the Flew Brewery outright in 1824. The Flew Brewery name was used until 1851 when it changed to J.A.Devenish & Co. The Company was registered as J.A.Devenish & Co. Ltd in 1889. In the 1920s Devenish continued to expand and acquired two companies in the South West including Carnes of Falmouth, which owned two breweries, and Aylwin & Snowden of Exeter. J.A.Devenish & Co. Ltd acquired the Cornish Brewing Co. Ltd based in Redruth in 1934. In 1960 the Company merged with rival next door neighbours John Groves & Sons Ltd which also brewed in Hope Square at the Hope Brewery. In 1965 the Company name was simplified to Devenish & Co. Ltd. In the early 1980s the Company faced financial difficulties and by 1985 brewing had ceased in Weymouth. Operations were concentrated at Redruth and the Company traded as the Redruth Brewery (1742) Ltd. In 1986 J.A.Devenish & Co. Ltd merged with Inn Leisure and the Redruth site was sold to new operators in 1991. Eventually the Redruth brewery closed in 2004. Devenish remained active as a pub company and distributor until 1993 when its estate was sold to Greenall Whitley & Co. Ltd.