Photos discovered of Steward & Patteson brewery in Norwich

And there are still plenty of memories about the life and times of Steward & Patteson, one of Norfolk’s great breweries.

Steward & Patteson brewery workers back in 1935. A picture kept by Lily Butler. Do you recognise anyone? (Image: Lily McKay/submitted)

Here are some of the gentlemen running the company in years gone by who also devoted much of their time to civic duties.

There is Henry S Patteson JP (Sheriff of Norwich 1858/9. Mayor of Norwich 1862/3).

Henry S Patteson (Image: Newsquest Archive)

Donald Steward (Sheriff of Norwich 1878/9).

Donald Steward (Image: Newsquest Archive)

George Henry Morse (Mayor of Norwich 1898/9).

George Henry Morse (Image: Newsquest Archive)

Colonel H. T. S. Patteson (Sheriff of Norwich 1901/2).

Colonel H. T. S. Patteson (Image: Newsquest Archive)

And the photographs of the workers taken during the 1930s were discovered in an envelope with “Lily of the Maltings” written on it.

Inside were three small pictures dated 1935, signed by Mrs L McKay (nee Butler), who worked at the brewery along with her grandad Jimmy Butler and father Herbert Butler.

A picture which has survived over the years. It was taken in 1935 and features Lily Butler (second row, third left) who worked in the bottling department at S&P (Image: Lily McKay/submitted)

Lily wrote on the back of the photos she worked at S&P from 1934 to 1936 until she left to get married. Her take home pay was 21s.7d.

A sketch of the Pockthorpe Brewery which appeared in the book Men Who Have Made Norwich in 1904 and again in 2014. (Image: Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society)

It was written in Men Who have Made Norwich first published in 1904: “The history of the Pockthorpe Brewery is a record of continual advancement and prosperity.

“Just 111 years ago – in 1793 – John Patteson, the great grandfather of the present chairman of Steward & Patteson purchased a small brewery, owned by Charles Greeves.”

This was on the Pockthorpe site and over the years the brewery continued to grow and grow. Donald Steward became a partner. Finch’s Brewery, in St Mary’s was amalgamated and the company became known as Steward, Patteson, Finch and Co.

As the business expanded they bought thousands of quarters of Norfolk barley and they had around 100 horses to transport the barrels of beer around Norfolk and Suffolk.

Many mothers and fathers, sons and daughters worked for S&P in its many different departments.

S&P was a major player in the brewing business and they reached out to take over 1,250  public houses across the region but times were changing and in the 1960s Watney Mann moved in and the life and times of S&P came to an end.

The end of an era. The nearly demolished Steward & Patteson building in Barrack Street, Norwich, during 1977 (Image: Newsquest Archive)

The last brew was made at Pockthorpe in 1970 and while the brewery was demolished the offices on Barrack Street have been restored.

Look out for these books. Norwich Pubs and Breweries Past and Present by Frances and Michael Holmes of Norwich Heritage Projects and Men Who have Made Norwich by Edward & Wilfred Burgess, first published in 1904 and second edition was produced by Philip Tolley and the Norfolk Industrial Archaeology Society in 2014.