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Morrell's Brewing Company, also known as the Lion Brewery, was the only major
Morrell's was founded by Richard Tawney in 1743 as the Lion Brewery. In 1782 he formed a partnership with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners. 1863 and 1864 saw the deaths of James Morrell and his wife Alicia leaving the brewery to their ten year old daughter
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
, England. It operated between 1782 and 1998.
Early history
Morrell's was founded by Richard Tawney in 1743 as the Lion Brewery. In 1782 he formed a partnership with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners. 1863 and 1864 saw the deaths of James Morrell and his wife Alicia leaving the brewery to their ten year old daughter Emily Morrell
Emily Morrell (1854 – 1938) was a British land and brewery owner of the Oxford-based Morrell family.
Life
Morrell was born in 1854. Her grandfather was James Morrell, her father was James Morrell and her mother was Alicia. Her parents owned th ...
. Her inheritance was put under the control of three trustees who tried to deal with Emily's crush on a distant cousin by sending her away to an aunt and forbidding any communication between the pair.
Morrell's brewed its beers at the Lion Brewery in St Thomas Street. In the 19th century Morrell's redeveloped and extended the Lion Brewery a number of times. A large brewing shed was added in 1879, a blacksmith's shop and engine house in 1880, a further shed and new yard in 1882, stables in 1889, new offices in 1892, a tun room in 1895, further offices in 1897 and a tall octagonal chimney in 1901. All these developments were designed by the local architect Harry Drinkwater, who also designed a number of the company's pubs.
The Lion Brewery was powered by a waterwheel on Castle Mill Stream, a branch of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...
. This was supplemented by steam engines for which the engine house was built. One rotative beam engine that was built for the Lion Brewery in about 1826 remained in service until 1964 and is now preserved at the Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester.
The Morrell family lived at Headington Hill Hall
Headington Hill Hall stands on Headington Hill in the east of Oxford, England. It was built in 1824
for the Morrell family, who remained in residence for 114 years. It became the home to Pergamon Press and to media tycoon Robert Maxwell. It cu ...
and their estate included South Park. The family included Philip Morrell (1870–1943), who was a Liberal MP 1906–18 and was married to Lady Ottoline Morrell
Lady Ottoline Violet Anne Morrell (16 June 1873 – 21 April 1938) was an English aristocrat and society hostess. Her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles, where she befriended writers including Aldous Huxley, Siegf ...
. In 1929–31 Morrell Avenue
Morrell Avenue is a residential tree-lined road in Headington, east Oxford, England.
The road runs east–west in a gentle curve around the southern edge of South Park, south of Headington Hill, rising from west to east. At the western end i ...
was built along the south side of South Park. The family also owned the village of Streatley and one side of the family lived there, until Emily Morrell died in 1938, when the estate was sold.
After an acrimonious family dispute the brewery was closed in 1998. Refresh UK bought the beer brands and for a time Thomas Hardy Burtonwood was contracted to brew them. Marston's acquired Refresh UK in 2008 and now brew Morrells beers.
Post-brewing operations
In 1998 Michael Cannon, owner of the US hamburger chain Fuddruckers, bought Morrell's 132 tied pubs for £48 million through a new company, Morrells of Oxford. In 2002 Cannon sold 107 of the pubs toGreene King
Greene King is a large pub retailer and brewer. It is based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The company owns pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by CK Assets in October 2019.
...
for £67 million.
Development of the Lion Brewery site
The Lion Brewery site was redeveloped for luxury apartments in 2002. The waterwheel and yellow brick chimney were retained but only the façades were retained of the other buildings.References
Sources and further reading
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{{commons category, Morrell's Brewery, position=left 1743 establishments in England 1998 disestablishments in England British companies established in 1782 British companies disestablished in 1998 Companies based in Oxford Defunct breweries of the United Kingdom History of Oxford 1782 establishments in England Food and drink companies established in 1782