Learn about the Cowbit Road brewery’s 200-year history, from its start to its eventual closure and housing.
The brewery is now gone, replaced by houses. Only Westbourne House remains standing. Brewing started there around 1809.
Henry Bugg and Thomas Brewerton began it. Brewerton was from Market Deeping. They traded as brewers and liquor merchants. The duo quit in 1804. Bugg opened the brewery in 1809.
His family managed it for 80 years. They also had banking interests. They lived in Westbourne House. It was a Georgian residence. Joseph Bugg took over in 1872. He was the founder’s grandson. He changed the family name to Burg in 1877.
Joseph passed away in 1887. He might have died from meningitis. Soames and Co. then owned the brewery. Stephen Soames was a London barrister. His son, Francis, managed the brewery.
Francis bought many licensed businesses. These were in the Spalding area. Francis died in 1903. A hunting accident caused his death. He fell from his horse.
In 1909, Soames and Company Limited formed. Captain Robert Soames was chairman. He was 71 years old. Hugh Peacock played a larger role.
Hugh Peacock passed away in 1916. Robert Soames ran the business. He was close to 80. Charles MacLeod managed the business. He owned Bonnie Brewery in Bourne.
Soames rehired war veterans. He paid one employee for his Military Medal. Leopold Harvey became the company secretary. He was a Spalding solicitor.
Soames developed brand awareness. They designed unique pub signs. They also created beer brands. These were Strong Ale and Bonnie Ale.
Soames expanded, acquiring more pubs. One was the Plank, Hook and Shovel. It was in Holbeach Bank. They bought it in 1921. Soames pubs were across Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.
Many are now closed. Some examples were the Bull Inn and the Cleaver. In 1924, Soames bought Horry’s Rout Green Brewery. It was in Boston. Business grew in the 1920s. Dividends reached 35 percent in 1928. Soames entered mineral water production. They acquired Lee and Green Ltd of Sleaford.
Many staff were loyal to Soames. Henry Thompson retired at 74. He had worked there for 38 years. He received a gratuity and pension. He lived up to 92 years old.
By 1930, Soames had more than 200 pubs. The board members were mostly elderly. Soames sold to Steward and Patteson in 1949. Shareholders earned millions from this deal. S&P initials are on yard gates. You can still see them near Westbourne House.
Steward and Patteson had 870 pubs after this. Watney Mann bought them in 1963. Watneys closed the Spalding depot in 1967. The brewery was demolished in the 1980s. Now, it is Westbourne Grove housing.