G. H. Lee
G H Lee, Waltham Abbey Brewery, Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Merged with McMullen & Sons Ltd 1898. Ceased brewing 1906.
From ESSEX BREWERS - The Malting and Hop Industries of the County by Ian P Peaty 1992 now out of print ISBN 978 1 873966 02 4
Brewing was taking place on this site prior to Charles Lee acquiring a lease of 28 1/4 years from 24th June, 1853. He continued to 1877, when George H. Lee took over the running of the brewery up to 1898, when he sold out to Hurdle & Co.
A sale catalogue dated 24th November, 1869, describes the premises as "old established 13 quarter brewery, brick and slated 20 quarter malting with cart shed, coach house, 2 three stall stables, vat room, beer stores, and all the necessaries for carrying on the brewery business, the whole supplied with water from an unfailing spring, the same having been bored and obtained a few years since at great cost". Both Charles and Herbert Lee. resided in premises adjacent to the brewery, which was situated at the crossroads junction of Sun Street to Sewardstone Road, opposite the existing New Inn public house.
Several Directory listings have incorrectly given the name of the brewery not as the "Waltham Abbey Brewery" but as the "Eagle Brewery", which is clearly indicated on the 1st Edition O. S. Map of 1870 as being on the West side of town on High Bridge Street. The name of G.H. Lee's Waltham Abbey Brewery is clearly indicated in an advertisement placed in a Directory for 1882.
On 15th July, 1898, a joint letter on behalf of George Herbert Lee and McMullen & Sons Ltd. advised all licensees and customers that the two businesses had amalgamated.
Brewing continued to 1906, when the premises were then used as a stores depot, the last advertisement appearing in the local press in 1928. By the outbreak of war in 1939, the existing parade of shops had been built on the former brewery site. There was a range of twelve draught beers in 1882 under G.H. Lee, priced from 22/- (£1.10) for a barrel of B Table Beer to 60/- (£3.0) for D S, Double Stout; IPA; XXXS Stock Ale and XXX Strong Mild Ale. Unusually there was a Light Bitter Ale designated BX.