St Austell Brewery Co. Ltd Square Tin

St Austell Brewery Co Ltd tin tray dating from the 1980s.

Walter Hicks

In 1851 founder Walter Hicks mortgaged his farm to set up a new family business in St. Austell.
Walter started as a modest wine merchant and maltster before leasing the Seven Stars Inn on East Hill in St. Austell in 1863 where he learnt to brew.
In 1867 Walter purchased the freehold of the London Inn where he established a modern steam brewery. The building still stands as Tregonissey House.
The business rapidly outgrew its original site, leading to its relocation on Tregonissey Lane in 1893, where the St. Austell Brewery remains today.

Walter Hicks & Co. Ltd

In 1910 the business was registered as Walter Hicks & Co. Ltd.
Tragedy struck in 1911 when Walter's son, also named Walter, died in a motorcycle accident. Walter had been running the brewery and his death forced his father to return to the business at the age of 82.
In 1914 Walter Hicks & Co. Ltd acquired T Henwood & Sons of Padstow. The brewery was closed in the same year. Walter ran the brewery until his death in 1916 when his was succeeded by his daughter, Hester Parnall.
Hester was a driven businesswoman with a fierce reputation. It was she who grew the business and shaped its future.
She was Chairman of the Company until she died in 1939.
In 1923 the Company purchased the North Cornwall Brewery Co. Ltd of Poundstock with 2 public houses.

The St. Austell Brewery Co. Ltd

Walter Hicks & Co. Ltd merged with Christopher Ellis & Son Ltd of Hayle in 1934 forming the St Austell Brewery Co. Ltd. Brewing ceased at Hayle in the same year.
In 1943 St. Austell Brewery Co. Ltd purchased 6 of the tied houses of Sydney Hatch of Penryn.
In 2001 the Company's Head Brewer, Roger Ryman, rebranded a pale ale called 'Daylight Robbery' to 'Tribute' bitter, which is now the Company's flagship beer.
Bath Ales Ltd brewery, with its tied houses, was purchased in 2016. Here the Company invested in the Hare Brewery, a state-of-the-art production site that was opened in 2018.
In the same year St. Austell's Small Batch Brewery became the centrepiece of its Visitor Centre.
Roger Ryman died in 2020 and he was succeeded by Georgina Young who had been Head Brewer at the Bath Ales Brewery.
St Austell Brewery Co. Ltd is still brewing independently with 190 pubs, inns and hotels spread across the West Country.