Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the 1930s.

The Early Years 1616 to 1780

The Anchor Brewery was established by James Monger in 1616 on land in Southwark adjacent to the Globe Theatre.
The historical list of brewers include, the brewery's founders, the Monger family 1616-1670, Joseph Child 1670-1693, Edmund Halsey M.P. from 1693-1729, Ralph Thrale 1729-1758, Henry Thrale 1758-1781.
The Thrale's friendship with writer Dr Samuel Johnson was the reason his figurehead was later used as the Company's trademark.

Barclay & Perkins Purchase the Anchor Brewery in 1781

In 1781 Robert Barclay and John Perkins acquired the Anchor Brewery and traded as Barclay Perkins & Co. becoming the 'largest brewery in the world' by 1809.
The brewery exclusively produced porter until 1834 when it began to brew pale ale.
The Anchor Brewery was rebuilt in 1832 after a serious fire.
The Company was registered as Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd in 1896.
Barclay Perkins was an early adopter of lager and this was added to its range of beers in 1922.

The Acquisition Years 1920 to 1930

During the 1920s Barclay, Perkins & Co. Ltd acquired five breweries.
The Company purchased Worboys & Jarman Ltd of Cambridge in 1920, followed by Pagden Ltd of Epsom in 1921, which it sold on to Mellersh & Neale in 1931.
It then acquired both Chaplin & Co. Ltd, with 25 public houses, and George Scales Cambridge Brewery, with 13 public houses, in 1926.
However, by far the largest purchase was that of Style & Winch Ltd of Maidstone, with 600 tied houses, in 1929. The Medway Brewery remained operational until its closure in 1965.

The Merger Years 1955 to 1970

The Anchor Brewery merged with Courage & Co. Ltd in 1955 to form Courage & Barclay Ltd.
Brewing, other than lager, ceased in 1958 when the site was rebuilt as a bottling plant, although lager continued to be brewed until 1963.
Courage & Barclay Ltd merged with H. & G.Simonds Ltd in 1960 becoming Courage, Barclay, Simonds & Co. Ltd.
The Company name was simplified to Courage Ltd in 1970, when the Anchor Brewery closed and was eventually demolished in 1981.

The manufacturer's mark states - B.A.T.Co.Ltd Smethwick 5411