Horse Shoe Brewery

Horse Shoe Brewery

Company type	Private
Industry	Brewing
Founded	1764
Founder	Unknown
Defunct	1921
Fate	Ceased operations; production transferred to Nine Elms facility
Headquarters	City of Westminster, London , England, United Kingdom
Products	Porter, Ale

The Horse Shoe Brewery was an English brewery located in the City of Westminster, founded in 1764 and recognized as a significant producer of porter. From 1809 onward, it operated under the name Henry Meux & Co. The brewery became infamous for the tragic London Beer Flood of 1814, when a porter vat ruptured, resulting in eight fatalities. The brewery ceased operations in 1921.

Origins

The brewery’s tap, known as the Horseshoe, dates back to 1623 and was named after the shape of its original dining room. The Horse Shoe Brewery itself was established in 1764 at the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. By 1785, Thomas Fassett had taken ownership, and during 1786–87, it ranked as the 11th largest porter producer in London, with an annual output of 40,279 barrels.

In 1792, ownership transferred to John Stephenson the younger; following his death in 1794, Edward Biley assumed control. Biley managed the brewery until January 1809 when John Blackburn and Edward Gale Bolero became partners. Later that year, Sir Henry Meux purchased the brewery; he had previously been involved with Meux Reid at the Griffin Brewery in Clerkenwell. The business operated as Henry Meux & Co., incorporating the horseshoe emblem into its branding. By 1811, production had increased to 103,502 barrels per year, positioning it as London’s sixth-largest porter brewer. Around 1813–14, the Horse Shoe Brewery either merged with or acquired Clowes & Co from Bermondsey.

The 1814 catastrophe

On 17 October 1814, a large porter vat with weakened hoops burst unexpectedly, releasing approximately of beer. This sudden flood caused significant structural damage to the brewery, including the collapse of several heavy wooden beams. The surrounding flat terrain combined with tightly packed slum housing intensified the flood's effects. Multiple neighboring residences suffered damage, and eight individuals lost their lives. The financial loss to the brewery amounted to roughly £23,000; however, Parliament granted excise drawback compensation near £7,250, which helped prevent bankruptcy.

Developments after 1814

Despite this calamity, the brewery continued as one of London’s leading porter producers throughout the nineteenth century. Henry Meux was awarded a baronetcy in 1831; his son Henry succeeded him in 1841. Ale brewing commenced in 1872. Key figures in management included partners Richard Berridge, Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, and William Arabin. In 1878, Henry Bruce Meux (later the third baronet) and Marjoribanks (later Lord Tweedmouth) assumed control and renamed the firm Meux's Brewery Company Ltd when it went public in 1888. Upon Henry Bruce Meux’s death without heirs in 1900, his widow Valerie inherited his shares; she later bequeathed them to Admiral Hedworth Lambton (who adopted the Meux surname) after her passing in 1910.

The Horse Shoe Brewery shut down in 1921 due to space constraints limiting expansion on its original site. Production was transferred to the Nine Elms facility in Wandsworth—acquired in 1914 and subsequently renamed Horse Shoe Brewery. The initial premises were demolished in 1922; subsequently, the Dominion Theatre was constructed there between 1928 and 1929.

In 1956, Meux combined forces with Friary, Holroyd and Healy of Guildford to create Friary Meux, which entered liquidation by 1961. Allied Breweries took over in 1964; brewing activities at Horse Shoe Brewery ended by 1966. Allied revived Friary Meux as a pub brand in 1979; however, it faded after pubs were sold to Punch Taverns in 1999.

Today, the original brewery tap operates as a Halifax bank branch. Remnants of the Meux brand lingered in London until at least 2015, notably on the derelict Sir George Robey pub near Finsbury Park station.