George Gale & Co. Ltd Round Tin

George Gale & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the 1950s. The brewery was founded by Richard Gale when he acquired the Ship & Bell home brew house at Horndean, in 1847. The first brewery was destroyed by fire in 1869 and a new Victorian brewery was built close to the original site. The Company was registered as George Gale & Co. Ltd in 1888. Shortly after registration, Herbert Frederick Bowyer purchased a major shareholding from George Gale and by 1897 he was chairman. Whilst business had increased steadily until that time, the Bowyer family injected significant capital and growth proved more dramatic. The Company acquired Samuel Clarke's Homewell Brewery of Havant in 1903, Weeks & Co. Square Brewery of Petersfield in 1907, the Wickham Brewery Co. Ltd in 1912, and Parker & Popplewell's Angel Brewery of Midhurst in 1923. The acquistions included over 100 public houses. By the end of the 1970s it became increasingly clear that the Company required more capacity and the decision was made to extend the existing brewery. The upgraded brewery was officially opened in 1984. Despite many years of growth, due to rising costs and red tape, Gale's management decided to sell the business. The family owned brewery and its public houses was purchased by Fuller, Smith & Turner Ltd in 2005 and all brewing was transferred to Chiswick. The brewery closed in 2006. Gales HSB, Prize Old Ale and Seafarer's Bitter are still brewed by Fullers in Chiswick, London. The manufacturer's mark states - Reginald Corfield Ltd Lombard Road. London. S.W.19.