The Brewery History Society: Breweries
Kent - Faversham: W E & J Rigden & Co - Court Street, Faversham
Founded in the early 1700s by Edward Rigden. Registered in 1902. Merged with George Beer & Co (Canterbury) in 1922 to form George Beer & Rigden Ltd, when the Canterbury brewery was closed and brewing was concentrated at Faversham.
George Beer & Rigden was then acquired by Fremlins Ltd (Maidstone) in 1948. Brewing ceased at Faversham in 1954, but was resumed in 1961 to meet increased demand. Following the takeover of Fremlins by Whitbread in 1967, Fremlins' Maidstone brewery was closed. Finally, Whitbread closed the Faversham brewery in 1990 and transferred brewing to Cheltenham.
The former maltings were converted to a Tesco supermarket in 1996. In 2007, the remaining buildings await development or conversion to other uses.
Sources:
Century of British Brewers
Faversham's Historic Pubs and Breweries: Peter Stevens (Faversham Society). ISBN 1 900214 46 8
The following photographs were taken in April 2007.
< Rigden's chimney on the left, Shepherd Neame on the right.
< The Rigden shield on the 1876 building.
