John Fowler & Co. Ltd Square Tin

John Fowler & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the 1950s.

The Origins of Fowler's Brewing Firm

In 1745 Robert Fowler purchased a brewery, which had been established in Prestonpans in 1720. Robert passed the brewery to his son, John Fowler, at the turn of the 19th century.
John, or 'Laird Fowler, as he was more commonly known, gained a reputation for brewing entirely by thumb which appeared to increase rather than decrease the quality of his ales.
John soon required extra capacity, and in 1820 he built a new brewhouse.
The subsequent profits generated from the Old Brewery enabled John to build a new brewery on the North side of the High Street, close to the the Old Brewery, absorbing a site that was once a distillery.
When John died in 1839, the business was inherited by his nephew, Robert Hislop, who had been the manager of the High Street brewery for a considerable time.
In 1850 the firm introduced its 'Preston Cross' trade mark, a famous landmark of Prestonpans.
Robert's son, John Fowler Hislop, inherited responsibility for Fowler's brewery when his father retired in 1865.

John Fowler & Co. Ltd Registration

Although he had once worked in a brewery, John became a staunch follower of the Temperance Movement and for this reason he sold the brewery.
The Company was incorporated as a new business, John Fowler & Co. Ltd in 1865.
In 1867 Robert Hislop sold his shares resulting in both the Fowler and Hislop familes no longer having an interest in the brewery that they had founded and grown .
By the end of the century the White family had acquired a majority of the shareholding of the Company.
For new directors there was a distinct emphasis on brewing high quality bottled beers.
The Company traded steadily for the next 50 years gaining a reputation for its strong bottled ales.
Between the wars, the Company's main strategy was to re-invest in the buildings and plant, providing a solid platform on which to build after the Second World War.
By the end of the 1950s John Fowler & Co. Ltd was in a good financial position with a strong repuation for its beers, making it a target for takeover.

Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd Takeover

One of its directors, Captain James Patton Younger, was also a director of Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd, as well as holding four other brewery company directorships.
The Company, with 36 public houses and 2 hotels, was acquired by Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd in 1960.
Fowlers was grouped with William Murray & Co. Ltd of Edinburgh, and George Younger & Son Ltd of Alloa, becoming Caledonian Breweries Ltd, the Scottish management arm of Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd.
A month later the Company was renamed United Caledonian Breweries Ltd when John Jeffrey & Co. Ltd was acquired.
Brewing ceased in Prestonpans in 1962, although the malthouse was used until 1964.
All assets were transferred to United Caledonian Breweries Ltd on 1st January 1963.
The brewery site was converted into residential and commercial property, whilst the maltings have become Prestonlinks Shopping Centre.
The Fowler's name was resurrected in 2004 by Fowler's Ale (Prestoungrange) Ltd microbrewery located at the Gothenburg pub in Prestonpans.

The manufacturer's mark states - Reginald Corfield Ltd Lombard Road London S.W.19.