| Historical notes: | History of the Castlemaine Brewery - taken from Brooks 1983
1856 - Arrival in Newcastle of the Wood Family. Family members were John Senior and Ann and sons, John Junior, Joseph and Edward.
1856-1857 - Edward Fitzgerald established a Brewery at Castlemaine in Victoria.
1857 - John Wood Junior was a miner with the A.A. Company in the D pit.
1859 - John Wood Junior became publican of the Ship Inn Hotel.
1865 - Wood Brothers and Co. opened a Spirit and Bond Store in part of the spacious premises known as Bingle and Co.'s stores in Bolton Street, Newcastle
1868 - Wood Bros. accepted from Mr. Fitzgerald the agency for the sale of Castlemaine Ale in Newcastle.
1874 - Fire destroyed the building in which the Wood Brothers' store was located.
1874 - Tenders were called for the construction of a new brewery to the designs of Mr. Oswald Lewis, Architect. Tender by Messrs. Laing and Wylie accepted.
1876 - The new brewery was opened and commenced operations. Water supply was obtained from a well on the site. The ale produced was of the highest quality produced by the most up-to-date methods.
1878 - Major extensions were made such that the Brewery was said to be amongst the finest in Australia. The expansion was largely to cater for the greatly increased beer trade and the new complex is described as being 'replete with every convenience.'
1883 - The company name was changed from the Castlemaine Brewery and Malting Company Limited to the Castlemaine Brewery Maltings and Wine and Spirit Company Limited. This was changed again a few years later to the Australian Brewer and Wine and Spirit Limited.
1887 - A limited company was formed named The Castlemaine Brewery and Wood Bros. and Company, Newcastle, New South Wales Limited which acquired the brewery business carried on in Newcastle and elsewhere under the name of Prendegast Wood and Co., and the wine and spirit business carried on at Newcastle, West Maitland and elsewhere under the name of Wood Bros and Co., together with the freehold land and brewery in Charlton Street (now Hunter Street) and the freehold land and store in Bolton Street, Newcastle. The Victorians retained 35% of the shares in the new company.
The first directors of the company were Joseph Wood, three Victorians, Edward Fitzgerald, Nicholas Fitzgerald and Malcolm Donald McEecharn and James Burns from Sydney.
1888- The building of the Great Northern Brewery Wine and Spirit Co. Ltd. on the south-western corner of Wood and Parry Streets was constructed to the designs of Messrs. Bennett and Yeomans, Architects. The Castlemaine Brewery purchased the Great Northern Brewery in 1891 to prevent local competition, although there were other breweries operating in the Newcastle and Maitland areas. There is little to indicate that Castlemaine used the Great Northern premises until 1897.
1889 - Profit and turnover performance by the Brewery in 1888-1890 was considered to be most satisfactory with dividend return to shareholders of 12 percent.
1893 - The Depression and strikes of the 1890s had a serious effect on the brewery business and the dividend payment was reduced to 7 percent.
1895 - The Depression deepened and was made worse by a drought which affected the previously strong country sales. Dividends however were held at 7 percent.
1897 - The dividend was reduced again to a level of 5 percent and the Chairman during his annual report spoke of the evils which had overtaken the Company, but which were now past. major modernisation of the equipment had been undertaken in the previous year and the Brewery was now producing among the best beer in the Colony.
Other improvements at the plant included asphalting the enclosure, repainting throughout, weather sheds to protect casks from sun damage, new cellars and vats.
The 'evil' which had overtaken the Company was a cessation of production for four months due to a bacterial growth in the brewery. During the complete renovations undertaken to counter this problem, brewing was transferred to the buildings purchased earlier from the Great Northern Brewery. Once the renovations were again completed brewing returned to Castlemaine and the Great Northern was used for only secondary purposes such as laboratories.
Partly as a result of the loss of trade during this period and due to increasing competition from Sydney, the dividend never rose above 4 percent during the remainder of the 1890s.
1898 - The renovations were completed at a total cost of 10,000 pounds and the Brewery was noted as being equipped with all the most modern appliances and capable of producing up to 800 to 900 hogsheads per week and up to 100 dozen bottled beer per day.
1899 - At the Annual General meeting the Directors complained that Tooth and Co. and Toohey from Sydney had plenty of money and were using it freely to secure business. This period saw a considerable effort to maintain the Brewery's position in the market.
1911 - The chairman, Mr. H.H. Long, noted that performance had been satisfactory given the adverse circumstances under which the Brewery had been working during the previous twelve months.
Extensive alterations had been made which involved the installation of practically a new plant and a new system of brewing which necessitated important structural alterations and a great increase in engine, boiler and refrigeration plant. Under the guidance of Mr. Pfrander, the head brewer, both the quality and quantity of the beer being produced had increased.
The alterations had been carried out while brewing continued which resulted in a staged alteration process. They had been undertaken under the superintendence of Mr E.G. Castleden, Architect, with the overall advice of Mr A. De Bavay of Melbourne.
1912 - This year marked the twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Castlemaine Brewery and Wood Bros. and Company Newcastle NSW Limited. It was noted that the alterations of the previous year had been very successful with the Company's beer now considered the most superior on the market. Partly, as a result, beer output had increased by 40 percent and the spirit department had also expanded dramatically.
Further improvements costing almost 20,000 pounds had been made which included about 6,000 pounds expended in the building and equipping of a new bottling department, rendered necessary by the increased demand for the company's product. This reference is to the building facing Hunter Street designed by Castleden to house offices in the single storey section and the bottling department in the two storey portion to the rear.
1913 - The Brewery's business continued to expand in both the beer and spirit departments as the new machinery continued in efficient production. Dividends at the rate of 5 percent were announced. The Company had purchased the freehold on the Royal Exchange Hotel in Newcastle and arranged a long lease on the new Railway Hotel in Cessnock in an effort to popularise the Company's products.
The new bottling plant had reached completion and other alterations were nearing completion. If the prospects for turnover were maintained at their anticipated levels, further additions were foreseen.
1921 - Tooth and Co. Limited entered into an agreement with the Castlemaine Brewery and Wood Bros. and Company Newcastle NSW Limited and subsequently acquired the company's brewing, wine and spirit business and properties. Prior to this Tooths had a small depot in Telford Street which was closed in late 1921.
Brewing continued on the site until mid 1931 when operations closed as a result of the Depression. Competition from other Sydney and Melbourne brewers and an apparent partiality for these 'foreign' brews by the local people were given as reasons for the closure. The closure was not taken lightly by Newcastle as it had just lost its soap factory and biscuit works and the employment situation was not bright. More than 50 men were stood down and brewing ceased in Newcastle for nearly 40 years until Tooheys opened their Cardiff work.
1938 - As business improved after the Depression, tooth and Co. decided to use the former brewery as a Depot for the distribution of their products manufactured in Sydney. In order t conduct this change of use, major alterations and additions were carried out to the designs of Pitt and Merewether, Architects. Basically the alterations involved the removal of all the brewing equipment, demolition of the power generating plant and erection of garages and buildings for the handling of packaged beer.
This operation continued successfully with various additional buildings and alterations being required in the 1960s, until 1974.
1974 - Tooth and Co. ceased operations on the site and transferred to a new depot in Nelson Road, Cardiff. The site was sold and became the Pink Elephant Markets. |