Former Little Coggeshall Brewery (EHER 15095)

The brewery is situated in a courtyard complex at the rear of the Portobello Public House. It is depicted on the 1832 estate map as ‘Gardner’s Brewery’ and was operated by William Gardner until 1877 after which it was run by Mrs Elizabeth Gardner and Son. The brewery operated as E. Gardner and Son from 1902. In 1938 it was acquired by Greene King and Sons Limited and ceased brewing. It was maintained in working order as a ‘shadow’ brewery during World War II just in case the main Greene King’s Brewery suffered bomb damage. The brewery was probably supplied with malt from the Riverside Maltings.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: The brewery is situated in a courtyard complex at the rear of the Portobello Public House. It is depicted on the 1832 estate map as ‘Gardner’s Brewery’ and was operated by William Gardner until 1877 after which it was run by Mrs Elizabeth Gardner and Son. The brewery operated as E. Gardner and Son from 1902. In 1938 it was acquired by Greene King and Sons Limited and ceased brewing. It was maintained in working order as a ‘shadow’ brewery during World War II just in case the main Greene King’s Brewery suffered bomb damage. The brewery was probably supplied with malt from the Riverside Maltings. In 1987 most of the site was disused, however, parts of the building were in use as a picture framing workshop. Prior to submission of a planning application in 1995 to convert the brewery into residential use, the complex comprised a two and three-storey part brick-built and timber-framed brewhouse, storage buildings and stables. The brewhouse contained brewing equipment including a brewing pan, a slate water tank, a Yorkshire Slate Square and grist bar-rows. Other original features included painted signs denoting room functions. The conversion retained many of these features. <1> - <5> 2002. Survey. William Gardner owned the land on which this brewery was built by 1827 and is listed as a brewer and maltster in 1839. The tap house, the Portobello Inn was built between the brewery and Bridge Street in 1853. Gardner also built the adjacent malthouse assessed as part of the Essex County Council Malthouse Survey (EHCR No 15048). William Gardner traded until his death in 1877 and the business was continued by his widow and son as E. Gardner and Son. Brewing had already ceased when Greene King and Son Ltd leased it in 1941 and they closed it two years later removing some of the equipment. Since closure as a brewery the structures have been in light commercial use until a recent sympathetic conversion to private residential use. <6> See also: <7> <8>