H. & G.Simonds Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

H. & G.Simonds Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the late 1930s.

The Origins of Simonds Brewery

In 1765 William Simonds was a maltster in Reading and, in 1774, he decided to start brewing. He opened a small brewery in the centre of Reading, and soon accumulated 4 public houses.
When he died in 1782, the business passed to his only son, William Blackall Simonds, who founded a brewery at 83 Broad Street, in 1785.
The Broad Street brewery proved to be too small to cope with increasing demand, and as a result, William Blackall acquired an extensive site on Seven Bridges Street, renamed Bridge Street, in Reading, There he created a large, opulent brewery and house.
In 1814, William Blackall secured his first contract to supply the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and this connection with the British army became a platform for the firm's survival and future expansion.
Many other local breweries held a virtual monopoly on tied houses. Simonds had very few which resulted in lower than anticipated growth.
William Blackall considered selling the business but his eldest son of four, Blackall Simonds, refused to let the brewery pass out of the family.
In response to high pricing and poor beer quality, the 1830 Beerhouse Act proved beneficial to the business, enabling Simonds to purchase and supply public houses without a strict licence, which had favoured other breweries to this point.
Simonds, with its quality beers, could now trade on an equal basis.
By 1839 Blackall had doubled the firm's brewing capacity, and was supplying 39 public houses, in and around Reading.
Within ten years Simonds owned the largest brewery in Reading and started to acquire its own public houses.

Simonds Early Success

In 1845 Blackall Simonds retired leaving his brothers Henry and George in charge. Their Christian names were later used to create H. & G.Simonds.
Henry became the senior partner overseeing a period of consolidation. When Henry's son, Henry John Simonds, joined in the 1850s, the Company began an era of expansion, a 'Victorian Boom'.
In 1858 bottled Pale Ale was introduced, which was exported across the world.
Henry Jr took over as senior partner in 1868, and was joined by George's son, Blackall II.
In addition to its brewing activities, Henry founded a successful Wine & Spirits arm of the business, in 1868.
The period until the 1880s saw a sustained and successful marketing strategy, the main success of which was the promtion of 'S.B Pale Ale', S.B standing for 'Seasons Brew', which by then, accounted for 50% of sales.
Other successes included the supply of Simonds beers to newly established barracks in Aldershot in the 1870s, leading to the availability of its beers to troops all over the British Empire.
One such country was Malta where, in 1875, beer was bottled on the island to serve the army. This was extended to Gibraltar in 1881, and later to Belgium, Libya, and Egypt.
Simonds also won a contract to supply South Western railway station refreshment rooms, in the 1890s
Although not substantiated by the Brewery History Society, evidence suggests that the Simonds family purchased the Chapel Street Brewery in Brighton in 1874, and premises owned by Baker & Davidson of Woolwich, in 1890.
By 1884, Simonds owned 117 public houses.

H. & G.Simonds Ltd  Pre-World War I - Acquisitions Trail

In 1885 the Company was registered as H. & G.Simonds Ltd, attracting significant outside capital investment during the next decade. This funding enabled the Simonds family to slowly build up their pub estate.
In 1898, the firm acquired Reading brewer, Hewett & Son's Victoria Brewery, which was trading as Victoria & Co., soon followed by the purchase of William Henry Stanley's, Fisherton Street Brewery of Salisbury, and Dowsett Brothers of Reading, both in 1906.
By the beginning of WWI the Company owned over 300 public houses, doubling the total of its estate in less than twenty years.
In 1905 Eric Simonds became a director of the business, proving to be a driving force during his leadership, becoming Chaiman in 1938.
Eric, who started with 350 tied houses, and a single brewery, embarked on an even more aggressive acquisitions strategy, and was also responsible for placing the Hop Leaf trademark outside every public house in the Simonds estate.
In 1912, the quality of the firm's beers was recognised when it won a Grand Prix, and gold medals, for its ales & stouts, at the Paris International Food Exhibition.
Before the commencement of the 'Great War', Simonds was Reading's largest employer, with over 500 workers.

In-between the Wars - Acquistions Trail

Between 1919 and 1939 many, mainly South West based breweries and their public houses, were acquired.
In 1919 the firm purchased George Crake's Tamar Brewery in Devonport, Plymouth, with 28 public houses. Brewing continued in Devonport until 1975.
Small brewer, Charles Absalom's Fordingbridge Brewery, with 2 public houses, was taken over in 1920.
The larger breweries of Mackeson & Co. Ltd's Hythe Brewery in Kent, and the South Berkshire Brewery Co. Ltd, with two beweries and approximately 200 public houses, were also acquired in 1920.
Thomas Woodward's Plough Brewery was acquired for its London offices and bottling facilities in 1924.
The small business of Johnstone & Johnstone in Tavistock, with 7 public houses, was taken over in 1927.
In 1929, Simonds was granted a Royal Warrant as 'Brewers to His Majesty King George VI', an accolade which continued into the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The 1930s saw the Company's largest period of acquistions, which started with the large business of Ashby Staines Brewery Ltd, with 333 public houses, and the Newbury Brewery Co. Ltd's Castle Brewery, both in 1930. The Ashby site was used as a depot until 1981.
When W.J.Rogers Ltd of Bristol, with its Jacob Street Brewery, was bought in 1930, a further 88 public houses were added to its tied estate. Brewing continued in Bristol until 1952.
The Teign Brewery of Teignmouth was acquired from Brown & Bishop in 1931.
The modest business, with its Eagle Brewery and 3 public houses, owned by Adams & Son of Newbury was purchased in 1936, followed by the acquisition of the more substantial Cirencester (Brewery) Ltd, with 106 public houses, in 1937.
N P Hunt's Lakeman's Brewery of Brixham, with 50 tied houses, Robert Henry Stiles of Bridgend, with 27 pubs, J L Marsh & Sons Ltd's Town Brewery of Blandford Forum, with 8 tied houses, and the home-brew pub of Oakham Tops in Truro, were the Company's final purchases in the late 1930s.

Post-World War II - Acquisitions Trail

Acquisitions continued unabated after WWII, when further companies were purchased.
Bowly & Co. Ltd of Swindon, with 41 public houses, John May & Co. Ltd of Basingstoke, with 100 public houses, and Phillips & Sons Ltd's Dock Road Brewery of Newport, Gwent, with 125 public houses, were all acquired in the 1940s.
By the beginning of the 1950s H. & G.Simonds Ltd was operating breweries at the Bridge Street Brewery in Reading, the Tamar Brewery in Devonport, the Jacob Street Brewery in Bristol, the Dock Road Brewery in Newport, and the Town Brewery in Blandford.
During this period Eric also widened Simonds presence overseas, including Malta, where Simonds Farsons Cisk was formed in 1948, and is still operating today.
A further three breweries were puchased in the 1950s, including C.W.Blundell (Plymouth) Ltd's South Devon Brewery, with 25 public houses, in 1951, Pool & Son Ltd of Penzance, a non brewing firm, in 1953, and the Octagon Brewery Ltd of Plymouth, with 48 public houses, in 1954. Brewing ceased in Plymouth in 1970.
At the time of Eric Simonds death in 1953, the Company owned over 1,100 public houses.
In the latter years of Eric Simonds' Chairmanship he was ably assisted by his son Duncan, who became joint Managing Director on his father's death.
The Company continued to win prizes for its beers, when in 1957, it was awarded First Prize & Gold Medal for its 'Tavern' ale, amongst others, at the Brewer's Exhibition.

H. & G.Simonds Mergers

In 1959 H. & G.Simonds Ltd entered into a trading agreement with Courage & Barclay Ltd, resulting in a merger of the two companies in 1960.
The Bridge Street Brewery became part of Courage, Barclay, Simonds & Co. Ltd, and by 1970, was the head quarters of Courage (Central) Ltd.
The name was simplified to Courage Ltd in 1970.
The Company was then acquired by the Imperial Tobacco Group Ltd in 1972.
A vast new Berkshire Brewery was built at a site in Worton Grange, near Reading in 1978, and this replaced Simonds' Bridge Street Brewery which closed in 1980, and was later developed as the Oracle Shopping Centre.
As part of the portfolio of Courage beer brands, the rights to use the Simonds name, were sold to Wells & Youngs Ltd in 2007.
The Berkshire Brewery was closed by Scottish Courage, in 2010.
The only surviving beer brands with any connection the Simonds name are 'Hop Leaf Pale Ale' and 'Lacto Milk Stout'. Both these bottled beers feature the old Hop Leaf trademark and are brewed at Farsons Brewery in Malta.

The tray featured was produced for the Belgian export market.
The manufacturer's mark states - ET.J.Schuybroek s.a.Hoboken-Anvers