Morland & Co. Ltd Round Tin

Morland & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the late 1970s. John Morland founded the original brewery at West Ilsley in 1711. Morland purchased the Eagle Brewery in Ock Street, Abingdon in 1861 and the Abbey Brewery, also near Abingdon, in 1866. In 1887 the three breweries became United Breweries Ltd and its trademark featured the initials of each of the three breweries at the end of individual barrels shaped in a pyramid. In 1887 the original brewery in West Ilsley closed and Abingdon became the centre of the Company's brewing operations. Although the Abbey Brewery had closed before the end of the century, the business continued to expand and during the period from 1888 to 1928 United Breweries Ltd acquired eight breweries enabling them to double their number of tied houses and considerably widen their distribution network. In 1944 United Breweries Ltd became Morland & Co. Ltd and at the same time a new trademark was introduced featuring an artist with a red frock holding a palette and a glass of beer. In 1956 Morland's allowed Whitbread & Co. Ltd to acquire a minority shareholding in the business which, at the time, suited both companies. Morland & Co. plc continued to expand during the 1980s and 1990s, purchasing hundreds of public houses and also acquiring Ruddles Brewery Ltd in 1997. In 1999 Greene King & Sons Ltd , who by that time had purchased a considerable share of the Whitbread business, made a second, this time successful bid, to secure Morland & Co. plc. Included in the deal was Morland's Old Speckled Hen, which had become extremely popular both at home and in the export market. In that year the Eagle Brewery in Abingdon was closed, its Old Speckled Hen and Ruddles beers were transferred to Bury St. Edumunds, and the site was demolished and converted into residential properties.