Fuller, Smith & Turner Ltd Round Tin

Fuller, Smith & Turner Ltd tin tray dating from the 1960s.

The Early Years

Beer has been brewed on the historic Griffin Brewery site since the 1600s.
It was not until 1816 however, under the stewardship of Douglas and Henry Thompson, that the Griffin Brewery name and emblem was born.
In 1829 John Fuller, a wealthy country gentleman, invested in the business and when he died in 1839, his son, John Bird Fuller, took over control.
By 1845 Fuller had become the sole owner of the business. He sought investment and this materialised when John Smith, a successful brewer himself, invested on behalf of his son Henry Smith and his son-in-law John Turner.
In 1845 the partnership papers between three families were signed and the brewing business of Fuller, Smith & Turner began.
The Company purchased the Toddington Brewery and New Inn in Bedfordshire, in 1887.
The Griffin trade mark was officially registered in 1892.

Fuller, Smith & Turner's Expansion

Fuller, Smith & Turner expanded gradually and acquired two Brentford breweries, Dobell & Courtaulds, in 1897, and William Gomm & Son, with 34 public houses, in 1908.
It also acquired the Cobden Bridge Brewery of W H Complin & Co. of Southampton, in 1898.
Exactly 100 years after the first Fuller had arrived in Chiswick, the Company was registered as Fuller, Smith & Turner Ltd in 1929.
Chiswick Bitter arrived in 1930, however it was not until 1958 that the more famous 'London Pride', named after a flower, was first brewed in Chiswick. Fullers ESB was introduced in 1971.
Awards flowed freely and Fullers became the first Company to win CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain with three different ales.
By 1979 Fullers owned 110 public houses and employed over 300 people.
In 2005 the Company acquired Gale & Co. Ltd of Horndean, with 111 public houses, and the brewery was closed.
In 2013 the Company purchased cider manufacturer Cornish Orchards and subsequently the Dark Star Brewery, based in Partridge Green, West Sussex, in 2018.

Asahi the New Owners

Independence ended in January 2019 when Fuller, Smith & Turner plc sold the Griffin Brewery, Dark Star Brewery, Cornish Orchards and its beer brands to the Japanese company Asahi.
Fullers retained its estate of over 300 pubs and hotels in the deal.
Asahi renamed the brewery 'Fuller's Griffin Brewery' to distinguish it from Fuller, Smith & Turner Ltd.
The brewery is still producing Fuller's and Gale's range of beers.
Asahi closed the Dark Star Brewery in Partridge Green, in 2022.

The manufacturer's mark states - The Metal Box Co. Ltd (Liverpool Branch).