Tollemache's Breweries Ltd Ceramic Ashtray

Tollemache's Brewery Ltd ashtray dating from 1935. The Brook Street Brewery in Ipswich was founded in 1855 by Charles Cullingham & Co. which sold it to the Tollemache brothers in 1880. Tollemache's first acquistion was H.G. & W.Ridley of Ipswich with 15 public houses in 1890. The Company was registered as Tollemache's Ipswich Brewery Ltd in 1896. After its registration two more breweries were acquired, Ranson & Sons of Stowmarket with 18 public houses in 1896, and Taylor, Sons & Dowson of Diss in 1897, which was resold to E.Lacon & Co. Ltd in 1898. In 1919 the famous 'Lady with the Grapes and Baby' trademark was introduced. When Tollemache's purchased Collier Brothers Essex Brewery of Walthamstow in 1920 it operated two breweries and changed its name to Tollemache's Breweries Ltd to reflect this. The Company continued to expand and purchased three breweries before the Second World War. The Unicorn Brewery Co. Ltd of Ipswich was wound up in 1923 and the 56 public houses were divided equally between Tollemache's Breweries Ltd and Cobbold & Co. Ltd. In 1926 Tollemache's acquired Robert Brassey Jones of Cambridge, and in 1934 the much larger business of the Star Brewery (Cambridge) Ltd with 119 tied houses, which the business continued to operate. After the war the Company purchased Stone & Sons of Tollesbury in 1950, and Ashby & Sons of Long Melford in 1952. In 1957, the two remaining Ipswich breweries of Tollemache's Breweries Ltd and Cobbold & Co. Ltd, merged to become Tollemache & Cobbold Breweries Ltd, with a total estate of 451 public houses. Brewing was concentrated at Cobbold's Cliff Brewery and the Brook Street Brewery closed in 1961. The buildings remain. Tollemache & Cobbold Breweries Ltd brewed at the Essex Brewery in Walthamstow until 1971, although bottling continued until 1974, and the Star Brewery in Cambridge ceased brewing in 1972, and was demolished in 1981. Tollemache & Cobbold Breweries Ltd was the subject of a number of takeovers from the 1970s. The Cliff Brewery closed in 1989 but reopened in 1991. When it closed again in 2003 the Cliff Brewery became a listed building. The manufacturer's mark states - Royal Worcester Made in England The ashtray can be dated to 1935 by the fact that there are 3 dots and 3 circles underneath the words Royal Worcester.