Arkell's
of Swindon
1833 John Arkell returned to England
1843 Arkell's Brewery was established in Swindon Road, Stratton St Margaret; John Arkell realized the potential for supplying beer to a string of pubs as well as his own Kingsdown Inn, which he had just bought. Swindon was developing into an industrial centre, the site of the works of the Great Western Railway
1861 Arkell's Brewery built at Kingsdown Inn, Upper Stratton
By 1900, Arkell's owned more than a quarter of the pubs in the Swindon area.
1927 Arkell's became a private limited company in 1927 with all shares owned by the family.
1930s: closure of the maltings and the opening of a high-tech bottling plant; opening of a mineral water plant for making soft drinks.
1967 formed a partnership with Derek Austin to supply amusement machines in pubs
1973 James Arkell (1951- ) became a director; he had learned brewing at the Donnington Brewery near Stow-on-the-Wold, owned by second cousin Claude Arkell.
1979 Took a 50 per cent interest in Edmont's Joinery, a company employing 70 people which carries out much of the refurbishment of Arkell's pubs.
Now runs over 100 pubs.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Arkell's [1]