Administrative/Biographical History
The Shore Brewery, Alloa, Scotland, was built in 1816 by John McNellan. By 1860, McNellan, Sons & Co had agencies in Glasgow, Scotland, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Liverpool, England and Newcastle–upon–Tyne, England, but during the next year it ran into financial difficulties and was put up for sale in 1862.
The business was bought by James Calder who acquired, J & A Vannen, Bo’ness Distillery, Bo’ness, Scotland, in 1873 and Glenfoyle Distillery, near Gargunnock, Scotland, in 1880. James Calder’s second son, John J Calder, became manager of Calder & Co in 1890. In 1905, James Calder & Co (Alloa) Ltd was registered as a limited liability company to acquire the business. In 1913 John J Calder was appointed manager, by the receiver, of Samuel Allsopp & Sons Ltd, Burton–on–Trent, England, which was then in severe difficulties and was appointed chairman of Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd, Alloa, in 1918.
The company was re–registered as James Calder & Co (Brewers) Ltd in 1920 and its whisky interests were sold to James Dewar & Sons. Brewing ceased at the Shore Brewery in 1921, all the company’s brewing requirements being contracted out to Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd.
The company acquired a brewery at Ostend, Belgium, for GBP 12,718 in 1921 and, with C Vaux & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, England, also took over Robinson Brothers Ltd, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, England, with 63 tied houses in 1925, dividing the houses between themselves. It also acquired Arrol’s Scottish tied houses in the late 1930s; breweries in Marsa, Malta, and Nairobi, Kenya; Robert Henderson & Co Ltd, The Mills Brewery, Alloa, Scotland, in 1944; Steel Coulson & Co Ltd’s Greenhead Brewery, Glasgow, in 1946; and George Thomson & Son Ltd, bottlers of Falkirk; Blairgowrie, Perthshire and Kinross; and Dysart, Fife, in 1950.
From 1951, Arrol ceased to brew ale, so, although that firm continued to supply the company’s lager requirements, all its other beer was supplied by John Jeffrey & Co Ltd, Heriot Brewery, Roseburn, Edinburgh. The company opened a new bottling plant at Bankhead Medway, Sighthill, Edinburgh in 1956. It was acquired in 1960 by Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd, later United Breweries Ltd, and ceased to brew.
Source:
Richmond, Lesley and Turton, Alison (eds), The Brewing Industry. A Guide to Historical Records, (Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1990).
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Scope and Content
- Certificates of incorporation, 1938
- Partnership agreements, 1951
- Minutes of directors, 1959–1970
- Records relating to members’ meetings, 1960–1966
- Directors annual report and accounts to shareholders, 1947–1968
- Investment records, 1946–1962
- Shareholding records, 1948–1969
- Financial records, 1921–1963
- Sales records, c.1966
- Pensions and life assurance, 1951–1960
- Licensed premises records, 1955–1963
- Property records, 1962–1965
- Promotional material, c.1905–1960
System of Arrangement:
The material is arranged according to the Scottish Brewing Archive classification scheme used within all SBA collections.
Custodial History:
The collection was previously housed with the rest of the Scottish Brewing Archive at Heriot–Watt University. It moved to the University of Glasgow in 1991.
Immediate Source of Acquisition:
Tennent Caledonian Breweries Ltd.
Appraisal, Destruction and Scheduling:
This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 1127 procedures.
Accruals:
None expected.
Access Conditions:
Open.
Copyright / Reproduction:
Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Scottish Brewing Archivist.
Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents.
Existence of Copies:
No known copies.
This material is original.
Finding Aids:
File level list available in searchroom.
Related Units of Description:
GB 1127 AA: Records of Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd
Publication Note:
Richmond, Lesley and Turton, Alison (eds), The Brewing Industry. A Guide to Historical Records, (Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1990).
McMaster, Charles, Alloa Ale. A History of the Brewing Industry in Alloa, (Edinburgh: Alloa Brewery Co Ltd, 1984).
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