Portsmouth & Brighton United Breweries Ltd Oval Black Backed Steel

Portsmouth & Brighton United Breweries Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the 1920s. The Elm Brewery of Southsea was founded by John Miles in 1851. In 1895 Thomas Dupree purchased A.Stannard's Beehive Brewery of Portsmouth, which had been founded by Thomas Weeks in 1832, and the Cosham Steam Brewery of Cosham. In 1896 Thomas Dupree registered a new Company, Portsmouth United Breweries Ltd with 86 public houses, to acquire the Elm Brewery, the Beehive Brewery, and the Cosham Steam Brewery. Dupree had closed the Beehive Brewery in 1895 and brewing continued at both the Elm Brewery and the Cosham Brewery. When the Elm Brewery was rebuilt in 1898 the Cosham Brewery became surplus to requirements, leading to its sale to Ernest Whicher & Co. of Portsmouth. In 1902 the Company purchased Henry Bransbury & Co.'s Crown Brewery with 40 public houses and converted it into a bottling store. Before and during World War I the business continued to expand and three additional breweries were puchased being Hobbs & Co. of Gosport with 11 public houses in 1913, Toomes Crossroads Brewery of Durrington in 1917, and Biden & Co. Ltd's Sea Horse Brewery of Gosport in 1918. Lush & Co. Ltd's St Georges Brewery of Portsea with 44 public houses was purchased in 1924 but more significantly the Company changed its name to Portsmouth & Brighton United Breweries Ltd in 1927 after acquisition of the Rock Brewery (Brighton) Ltd with over 100 public houses. The Rock Brewery was closed in 1928. The Elm Brewery was acquired by Brickwood & Co. Ltd in 1953 with 271 public houses and it continued brewing until 1962 when it was converted to a mineral water factory as one of its subsidiaries. The buildings were demolished in the 1980s.