Guildford Snippets No. 27

Published on: 21 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 21 Jul, 2019

By Nick Bale Guildford Town Guides

A pleasurable pub lunch a few days ago caused me to reflect on the pleasures of drinking a glass of beer on a sunny afternoon.

In history, beer was a generally brewed locally, as it often is today, and various colourful businessmen had breweries in Guildford town centre.

Guildford’s Friary Meux brewery. Onslow Street side, viewed from Bridge Street.

Friary Meux, the last town centre brewery to survive was located on what is now the site of the Friary Shopping Centre.

My question for you this week is how long ago did the Friary Brewery brew its last beer? Was it:

30 years ago?
50 years ago?
70 years ago?

If you would like to know more, the tales of some of the Guildford brewers like the Elkins family will be featured in the Made in Guildford walk on Tuesday, July 30.

There will also be walks on other Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, such as Georgian Guildford and several Guildford Story walks.

Information on our programme is available from the Guildford Tourist Information Centre or at www.guildfordwalks.org.uk.

For those interested in the answer to Snippet No. 26 the moon was the celestial object that John Russell studied for many years of his life.

In fact, one of his pastel paintings of the moon is on display at The Moon Exhibition at the Royal Museums Greenwich which opens this weekend July 19 and runs to January 5.

If you have questions or wonder what the town was like in the past, come and join one of our free guided walks.

Responses to Guildford Snippets No. 27

Aubrey Leahy Reply

July 26, 2019 at 5:21 pm

50.

One of my classmates underwent a five-year cooperage apprenticeship with the brewery.

Just after his graduation ceremony, which I believe involved being tarred and feathered and rolled around in a hogshead he had made, the brewery announced they were phasing out wooden barrels and switching to almost entirely using aluminium kegs. Another classmate took a job as a trainee bookbinder at Biddles…Ho Hum…

The journey to begin my paper round took my nostrils past the lactose enriched air of the Co-op dairy; Len Knight’s cafe, the ever aromatic greasy spoon next to the cricket ground; yeasty Ayers bakery; the malty breezes emanating from the Friary brewery and finally the coffee roasters sharp aromatics next to Abbots hospital. No wonder I was always hungry.
goodman Reply

July 27, 2019 at 8:38 pm

50 years ago.
When they brewed you could smell it all over town