J.W.Cameron & Co. Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

J.W.Cameron & Co. Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the early 1930s.

John William Cameron

The business was founded in 1852 by William Waldon, in Stranton, on land purchased from Ralph Walker.
After William's death in 1854 his widow, Jane, ran the business.
In 1865 Jane employed a young brewer, John William Cameron, to manage the brewery.
The Lion Brewery was leased to Cameron in 1872 with 16 public houses. Henry Wilson helped John to upgrade his brewing facilities in 1875.
After John purchased more land on the same site, a new Lion Brewery, which is still operating, was built and commenced brewing in 1892.
When the lease expired in 1893, Cameron purchased the brewery outright from the Waldons.

J.W.Cameron Ltd Registration

The Company was registered as J.W.Cameron Ltd in 1894, with 50 tied houses.
In the same year John William Cameron semi-retired and managerial responsibilty was handed to his brother, Watson Cameron.
After registration the Company started to expand quickly and by the turn of the century four breweries in the North East of England had been acquired.
Takeovers included Nixy, Coleclough & Baxter Ltd of Hartlepool in 1894, Rickinson & Sons Ltd of Hartlepool in 1895, E.J.Sait of Stockton-on-Tees in 1896, and T.E.Chapman & Son of Sunderland in 1897. Cameron's estate increased by nearly 200 public houses.
In 1894 the Company went public.
John William Cameron died in 1896 and Watson Cameron became the firm's chairman. John Ellerman became vice chairman of the Company in 1897.
In that same year the Lion Brewery was further expanded, and by 1900 the Company owned 400 public houses and a mineral water factory.
Before and after the First World War, Camerons continued to acquire more breweries in the North East of England including John Heslop Ltd of Norton-on-Tees in 1909, Robert Newton Ltd of Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1920 and Plews & Sons Ltd of Leeming in 1925, with 100 public houses.
In 1920 Watson Cameron died and A.J.Morgan and H.J.Hewlett became joint managing directors.
In 1922 Watson's son, John Watson Cameron, joined the Company and in 1935 he was made chairman and managing director.
The Company's share price doubled in value between 1933 and 1938. By the end of the 1930s over 1,500 people were employed by the firm.
After World War Two acquisitions continued apace, including John J.Hunt Ltd of York with 230 public houses, and Scarborough & Whitby Breweries Ltd in 1953, Fryer & Sons Ltd of Stokesley in 1959, West Auckland Brewery Co. Ltd with 80 public houses in 1959, and Russells & Wrangham Ltd of Malton with 80 public houses in 1961.
In 1953 a bottling facility was added, and in 1955 the famous Camerons Strongarm bitter was introduced.
In 1970 a new brewhouse was built.
When John Watson Cameron retired in 1971 his son, John Martin Cameron, became managing director.

Corporate Ownership

In 1974 Ellerman Lines acquired the 25% shareholding previously owned by John Ellerman, who had died, and in 1975 a takeover was complete.
Ellerman Lines was a struggling shipping company which purchased the Company, its Lion Brewery, and 750 public houses.
In 1983 the brewery was upgraded to enable brewing of bottom fermented lager.
In 1983 Ellerman Lines was acquired by the Barclay Brothers and by 1985 Cameron's accounted for 5% of sales in the UK beer market.
In 1985, new managing director Alistair Arkley, split the pub and brewing arms of the Company into separate divisions.
The pub business continued to expand including the acquisition of 80 public houses from Mansfield Brewery Co. Ltd, and a few pubs in the North West of England.
In 1987 Camerons purchased the pub estate of Melbourns Brewery Ltd of Stamford.
In 1989 J.W.Cameron & Co. Ltd and Tollemache & Cobbold Breweries Ltd were sold by the Barclay Brothers to the Brent Walker Group. At the time of the sale Camerons controlled 480 licensed public houses, and 270 hotels and off-licenses.

Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Ltd Acquire the Lion Brewery

In 1991 the brewing arm of the business was one of the most efficient in Britain, but the Brent Walker Group was heavily in debt and was forced to sell the Lion Brewery, with 51 public houses, to Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Ltd.
The remaining 1600 pubs were retained by Brent Walker which created a pubco, Pubmaster, based in Hartlepool.
The entire remaining estate was sold to a syndicate investment group in 1996.
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Ltd mothballed part of the brewery but invested heavily in marketing and upgraded other parts of the brewery. Within a few years the estate had doubled to more than 100 pubs.
In 1997 the Company won the license to contract brew Fosters lager and £1m was invested in new plant, including a new keg facility.
In 1999 the previously mothballed part of the brewery was upgraded and further significant contracts were won to brew Harp, Heineken and Kronenbourg 1664 lagers. Wolverhampton & Dudley had turned around the business completely.

Castle Eden Brewery Ltd Purchase the Lion Brewery

In 2002 the brewery was sold to Castle Eden Brewery Ltd, owned by David Soley. All its brewing was transferred from Castle Eden to Hartlepool.
The new Company won further sizeable contracts from Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Ltd.
Many famous brand names continue to be brewed at the Lion Brewery including Fosters, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smith's Magnet Ale, Tetley Imperial, Tetley Mild and Tetley Dark Mild.
80% of production capacity is for contract brewing, however Cameron's cask conditioned Strongarm, continues to be brewed at the Lion Brewery.
In 2016 the Company acquired the pub estate of the Leeds Brewery Co. Ltd.