Thrale history

Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England



 


Tree: UK Thrale family

Notes:

The Anchor Brewery, Bankside, operated from 1616 to 1962 and then as a bottling plant until 1981. Owned by the Thrale family from 1729 to 1781, it continued trading under the Thrale name for a further 17 years after Thrale ownership ended.

Now, it is part of the popular riverside area, comprising:

Owned by the Bishops of Winchester, the area known as Bankside became the entertainment centre of London after the City of London sought to limit theatrical uses by licensing them in 1574, and this caused them to migrate south of the river beyond the City’s jurisdiction. With the theatres came bull and bear baiting, inns and brothels. There were four theatres in the area, of which the Rose was the first, but perhaps the best known is the Globe, which was built in 1599. In 1642, theatres were banned by the Puritans, but by then, the area had become a major centre for industry to service the expansion of London.

Bankside was described as …

London’s scrap heap, the refuge of its excluded occupations and its rejected residents.

Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor , 1851

Location

The first Anchor Brewery on the site was established in 1710 by James Child to serve his public house on Bankside and is still called The Anchor. Situated at Deadmans Place, Bankside, adjacent to:

Maid Lane, which joined Deadmans Place at the river end, in 1751 was …

A long straggling place with ditches on either side; the passages to the houses being over little bridges.

Robert Dodsley, London and Its Environs Described, 1751.

The extent of the brewery is shown on the First Edition Ordnance Survey plan of 1873.



Map of Anchor Brewery in 1875.

Neighbours included:

  • a noisy and dusty stonecutter’s yard;
  • an old burial ground;
  • an open sewer;
  • several tanneries;
  • Messrs Potts’s vinegar factory;
  • The Naked Boy;
  • patches of open space locals used as tenter ground for stretching cloth; and
  • Clink Prison.

Clink Prison, was described as…

a very dismal hole.

John Snow, Survey of London, 1598.

The 9-acre compound - vulnerable to flooding from the River Thames - encompassed:

  • clerks’ quarters;
  • storehouses;
  • vaults;
  • vats; and
  • stabling and dung pits for nearly 100 horses.

Critical to the success of north Southwark's industries was the improvement of its road connections. Blackfriars Bridge opened in 1769, and Southwark Bridge was completed in 1819. The latter was constructed of cast-iron arches on granite piers and, at 240 ft, the central span was the largest ever achieved in cast iron. It was replaced in 1921.

John Rocque's map of 1746 indicates significant development in the Southwark area. Thrale Street was then known as Castle Street and ran northwest to southeast, intersecting with Redcross Street. The road is lined with buildings on either side, to the north are gardens or allotments and beyond these a Tenter Ground.

Throughout the ownership of Ralph Thrale, Henry Thrale and Barclay Perkins, neighbouring land was acquired to expand production. By 1810, the brewery site had grown to almost 14 acres.

In 1862, Stanford’s Map depicts that the gardens and Tenter Ground to the north of Thrale Street (still known as Castle Street) had been replaced by the Anchor Brewery.

Buildings at the southern end of Thrale Street had suffered significant damage during the Second World War. The area to the north of Thrale Street had lost many buildings.

The post-Second World War maps indicate a number of the streets had been renamed: Castle Street had become Thrale Street, Winchester Street had become O'Meara Street and Redcross Street, Redcross Way.

Anchor Terrace, on Southwark Bridge Road, is a set-piece design built as eight houses in 1834 of yellow stock brick with stucco embellishments. It has three storeys, rising to four for the central five bays, which also break forward. Windows are arched to the ground floor and 12-pane sashes above. There is a balcony on the first floor and a full set of spearhead railings to the basement areas and entrances. In the mid-20th century, the whole terrace was converted into offices for Courage’s Brewery and later then to flats.

In the 1980s the buildings of the Anchor Brewery site were replaced by housing.

Chronology

StartOwnerTrading name / notesEndLength (years)
1616James MongerAnchor Brewery - established165741
1657James Monger (the Younger)167013
1670James Child169626
1696Edmund Halsey M.P.172933
1729Anna Smith née Thrale17312
1731Ralph Thrale M.P.Thrale and Company175829
1758Henry Thrale M.P.Thrale and Company Limited178123
1781John Perkins, David Barclay, Robert Barclay, Sylvanus Bevan.Thrale and Company Limited179817
1798John Perkins, David Barclay, Robert Barclay, Sylvanus Bevan.Barclay Perkins189597
1895Courage & Co. and Barclay Perkins & Co.Courage & Barclay Ltd9 May 195560
15 July 1955H. S. Finch and CompanyCourage.
Brewing relocated to Courage in Bermondsey.

Brewery House

Brewery House, or Borough House, was a four-storey building located at the entrance of the cobbled brew yard of Thrale’s Anchor Brewery.



Brewery House in 1833.

Now known as 21 and 23 Park Street Southwark, London. The dilapidated building, which at one point was used as council housing was sold by Southwark Council in 2013 for £2.96 million - making it the:

most expensive council house in the UK.



'Brewery House, 21-23 Park Street Southwark in June 2024 (half the house frontage is obscured by the tree).



'Brewery House', 21-23 Park Street, Southwark, London, 4 June 2024.

Further information about the use of Brewery House during Henry Thrale's ownership is given on this page.

Production

Between 1700 and 1853, the Anchor Brewery likely had the greatest production of any brewery worldwide.

Year BarrelsOwner
175046,100Ralph Thrale
175832,622
176030,000Henry Thrale.
177785,287
177896,000
177976,000
178060,000
178285,700Barclay & Perkins
1802137,463
1809260,000
1810200,000
1815330,000
1826 380,180
1867423,000

We shall brew but Sixty Thousand Barrels of Beer this Year! pretty Times indeed; and Mr Smelt saying he wishes we had more Taxes, & the King more power: I wish the King would put an End to this destructive War I’m sure; the Year before last we brew’d 96,000 Barrels—last Year only 76,000, & this Winter we shall scarece turn 60,000. So horribly is the Consumption lessened by the War.

Hester Thrale, Thraliana, 21 January 1780
A fuller account of the ownership and history for during period of ownership of the brewery is given here.

Address : Latitude: 51.50825524077348, Longitude: -0.08586354146427767


Media

Photos
Anchor brewery circa 1785
Anchor brewery circa 1785
Anchor Brewery by G Yates in 1826
Anchor Brewery by G Yates in 1826
Borough or Brewery House in 1833
Borough or Brewery House in 1833
Anchor brewery plaque
Anchor brewery plaque
Park Street, Southwark
Anchor brewery fire in 1832 by William Clarkson Stanfield
Anchor brewery fire in 1832 by William Clarkson Stanfield
A painting of a disastrous fire in 1832 at the Anchor Brewery on Bankside by William Clarkson Stanfield. Purchased by Guildhall Art Gallery on 22 July 2009 for £4,375.
Park Street plaque of attack on Genral Haynau at Anchor Brewery
Park Street plaque of attack on Genral Haynau at Anchor Brewery

AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT OCCURED HERE 1850

GENERAL HAYNAU
"THE AUSTRIAN BUTCHER"
WAS RECOGNISED AND ATTACKED
BY BARCLAY & PERKINS
DRAYMEN

Russian Imperial Stout.
Russian Imperial Stout.
Manufactured at Anchor Brewery, 1962.
Anchor Brewery, Park Street entrance, c.1820.
Anchor Brewery, Park Street entrance, c.1820.
By John Thomas Smith.
'Brewery House', 2024.
'Brewery House', 2024.
21-23 Park Street Southwark, London.
'Brewery House', 2024.
'Brewery House', 2024.
21-23 Park Street Southwark, London.
John Perkins.
John Perkins.
By Lemuel Francis Abbott, 1809.
1881 centenary commemorative coin.
1881 centenary commemorative coin.
Anchor Brewery c.1826.
Anchor Brewery c.1826.
Former Anchor Brewery Offices in Anchor Terrace.
Former Anchor Brewery Offices in Anchor Terrace.
Now used for housing.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout.
Bottle labelling.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout advert, 1936.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout advert, 1936.
Tatler Magazine 11 November 1936.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout label, 1950.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout label, 1950.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout label, 1975.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout label, 1975.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout bottle poster.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout bottle poster.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout label.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout label.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout label.
Barclay Perkins Russian Imperial Stout label.
Anchor Volunteers drawing.
Anchor Volunteers drawing.
Anchor Volunteers postcard.
Anchor Volunteers postcard.
Anchor Volunteers uniform jacket.
Anchor Volunteers uniform jacket.
Anchor Volunteers uniform shako.
Anchor Volunteers uniform shako.

Documents
Anchor Brewery, 1781 sale.
Anchor Brewery, 1781 sale.
Deed of sale of Anchor Brewery on 31 May 1781.
Anchor brewery seventeenth century accounts
Anchor brewery seventeenth century accounts
Domestic accounts kept by Edmund Halsey in the 17th century.
Anchor brewery, Southwark, plan 1875
Anchor brewery, Southwark, plan 1875
Plan of Bankside (based on the 1875 Ordnance Survey). Note the Borough Waterworks Company (in pink) which supplied water to the brewery.
Map of Harrow Corner, Southwark
Map of Harrow Corner, Southwark
Map of Bankside, 1775.
Map of Bankside, 1775.
Bowles plan of London.

Histories
Henry Thrale's will
Henry Thrale's will
Henry Thrale died on 4 April 1781 between 5 am and 6 am. The will, dated 17 March 1781, was read by the male executors on 5 April 1781. his wife, Hester, was later informed of its provisions by Samuel Johnson.

Executors

Dr. Samuel Johnson's close friendship with the Thrale family.
Dr. Samuel Johnson's close friendship with the Thrale family.
Samuel Johnson’s close friendship with Henry and Hester Thrale began in 1765, declined in 1781 after Henry’s death and mostly ended 1784 just before Hester married Gabriel Piozzi.
Anchor Brewery, Bankside, London (1616-1986).
Anchor Brewery, Bankside, London (1616-1986).
The history of Anchor brewery from 1616 until 1986, including the 52 years between 1729 & 1781 in which it was owned by Ralph and Henry Thrale.

Videos
BBC TV Arena: According to Beryl (2001).
BBC TV Arena: According to Beryl (2001).
On 6 October 2001, BBC Television broadcast 'According to Beryl'. Their hour-long account of the family arrangement enjoyed by Samuel Johnson and the Thrale family of Streatham seen through the eyes of Beryl Bainbridge, author of the book on the same subject, According to Queeney.
We also have an account of the Bery Bainbridge book According to Queeney, upon which this TV programme about Queeney, Johnson and the Thrale family is based.

Birth

Matches 1 to 5 of 5

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Birth    Person ID   Tree 
1 THRALE, (miscarried)  10 Aug 1779Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I2168 UK Thrale family 
2 THRALE, Frances  27 Sep 1765Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I216 UK Thrale family 
3 THRALE, Henry Salusbury  15 Feb 1767Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I670 UK Thrale family 
4 THRALE, Hester Maria  17 Sep 1764Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I94 UK Thrale family 
5 THRALE, Susannah Arabella  23 May 1770Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I93 UK Thrale family 

Death

Matches 1 to 3 of 3

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Death    Person ID   Tree 
1 THRALE, (miscarried)  10 Aug 1779Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I2168 UK Thrale family 
2 THRALE, Frances  6 Oct 1765Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I216 UK Thrale family 
3 THRALE, Henry Salusbury  23 Mar 1776Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I670 UK Thrale family 

Occupation

Matches 1 to 1 of 1

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Occupation    Person ID   Tree 
1 THRALE, Ralph M.P.  Between 1711 and 1731Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I69 UK Thrale family 

Property

Matches 1 to 5 of 5

   Last Name, Given Name(s)    Property    Person ID   Tree 
1 HALSEY, Edmund MP  Between 1693 and 1729Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I746 UK Thrale family 
2 SALUSBURY, Hester Lynch  Between 11 Apr 1781 and 31 May 1781Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I87 UK Thrale family 
3 THRALE, Anna  Between Aug 1729 and 1731Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I70 UK Thrale family 
4 THRALE, Henry M.P.  10 Apr 1758Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I83 UK Thrale family 
5 THRALE, Ralph M.P.  1731Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England I69 UK Thrale family