This timeline history of the Tolly Cobbold Brewery serves as a handy reminder of the history of the first 237 years of this extraordinary business.
Tollemache’s Breweries Limited
- 1856 – Ipswich Brewery opened
- 1888 – Ipswich Brewery purchased from Charles Cullingham & Co. by Tollemache Brothers. The Partners were:
The Hon. D.A.Tollemache
The Hon. S. A.Tollemache
The Hon. M.G. Tollemache.
- 1896 – Tollemache’s Ipswich Brewery Limited., incorporated to take over the business of Tollemache Brothers.
- 1920 – The business of Collier Bros., Essex Brewery, Walthamstow purchased and the Name of the Company changed to Tollemache’s Breweries Limited
- 1921 – The business of Barwell & Sons, Wine and Spirit Merchants, Norwich, acquired.
- 1923 – On the closing of the Unicorn Brewery, Ipswich, approximately half the houses of Catchpole & Co. Ltd., were acquired; the remainder being bought by Cobbold & Co., Ipswich.
- 1934 – Controlling interest acquired in the Star Brewery, Cambridge, Ltd.
- 1947 – The Star Brewery, Cambridge, Limited became a wholly owned subsidiary company.
- 1957 – Amalgamation with Cobbold & Co. Limited, and the name changed to Tollemache & Cobbold Breweries Limited.
- 1959 – The business of G. T. Jones & Co. Limited, Wine and Spirit Merchants, Oxford, acquired.
- 1961 – Closing of the Ipswich Brewery on the transfer of the whole trading to the considerably extended Cliff Brewery of Cobbold & Co. Limited.
Cobbold & Co. Ltd
- 1723 – Brewing commenced at Harwich by Thomas Cobbold.
- 1746 – Brewing transferred to Cliff Brewery, Ipswich.
- 1896 – Cliff Brewery rebuilt.
- 1904 – Cliff Brewery extended.
- 1924 – Cobbold & Co. Limited incorporated to take over the business of Cobbold & Co., Brewers, and also the old established Wine and Spirit business of Cobbold & Son.
- 1957 – Amalgamation with Tollemache’s Breweries Limited.
- 1959-61 – Cliff Brewery extended to include the trade of the Tollemache Brewery in Upper Brook Street which was closed in 1961.
