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Norwich Merchants

Coleman's

Head Office : Wincarnis Works, Barn Road. 1 - 4
2. The Primary Assumption : 3. Change of Tack : 4. Pub Portfolio

1. : General

This firm had only a short-term and peripheral effect
upon the Norwich pub-scene. Nevertheless an
advertisement in 1890 for Coleman's Brewery Co. Ltd.
shows an artist's impression of a very large
brewery building, complete with an enormous
boiler-house chimney, sited at No. 21 Rosary Road. 		  Also listed were no less than 9 ales and stouts
"warranted pure", all priced-up and in 4
different quantities.

STANDLEY, Philip : Norwich - in old postcards,
Volume 1, shows a photograph c.1908 of the new
Wincarnis Works.
Likewise c. 1912 on page 100 of his book
Norwich Then & Now (Part 3)

2. : The Primary Assumption

. . . is that the firm which became nationally famous
for its "tonic wine" - called Wincarnis - is the same firm
which got involved with the licensed trade in Norwich.

If this is so, we can reasonably deduce
the following things :

  • Their effective entry, i.e. into the tied-house market,
          did not occur before 1890
  • Their last pub (hotel) acquisition was in 1895
  • The brewing ceased shortly after 1894
  • They abandoned their final licence in 1916
The inference is that, if they ever had
serious intentions to brew beer, as distinct from
wine importation and blending, they either :
  • very soon lost interest, or
  • were commercially unsuccessful in a big way.
Short-term successors were possibly
Lewis, Ingold and Collard.

The Rosary Road premises were occupied by
a sheet-metal factory by 1900.

 

3. : The Change of Tack

That the wine business later blossomed enormously
is without doubt.
Their premises in Westwick Street and Barn Road
expanded throughout the major part of the 20th Century.

In the early years (i.e. from c. 1888) their offices
were based in Bank Plain, on the corner of Queen Street.
They promised to telegraph orders from there to Rosary Road.

In 1890 they were also described as
wine merchants, and manufacturing chemists.
They also had premises at No. 9 Queen Street,
15 Prince of Wales Road, and offices in London.

Called either Coleman & Co. or
Coleman's Brewery Co. Ltd.,
they fairly rapidly outgrew, or abandoned,
various premises; and moved to Westwick Street.
The 1895 licensing record (see Queen Hotel below)
shows the new address. Probably by July 1904
(see Cooper's below) the offices had moved too.

Around 1916 Coleman's were producing
Tonic Cocoa Cubes at Palace Plain.

4. : The Pub Portfolio

In the main, they seemed attracted towards buying the bigger
and more prestigious outlets (hotels, wine-merchants etc.)

When they left the scene, those premises - not already closed -
were assigned more-or-less en bloc (except for the
Queen Street Headquarters) to Bullard's Brewery.

The details are as follows :-

Acquired December 1888 :

Acquired 1890 : Acquired 1891 : Acquired 1895 :
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