Tolley family

A. E. & F. Tolley

Company type	Private (family company)
Industry	Wine merchant, winemaking, distilling
Founded	1874
Founder	Albion Everard Tolley, Frederick Osborne Tolley
Headquarters	Adelaide , Australia
Products	Wine, spirits, brandy

The Tolley family played a significant role as winemakers, merchants, and distillers within South Australia. They founded three principal enterprises: A. E. & F. Tolley, a wine merchant business located on Leigh Street, Adelaide; Tolley Scott & Tolley, distillers operating in Stepney and Nuriootpa, commonly referred to as "T.S.T."; and Douglas A. Tolley Pty, Ltd., a winemaking company based in Hope Valley.

History

Albion James Tolley (1819–1901), his wife Fanny (1830–1899), along with their three children, arrived in South Australia aboard the ship Gipsy in August 1853. In 1858, Albion James launched Tolley & Co., a wine merchant establishment on Currie Street. After spending several years back in England from 1866 and residing in Chertsey, the family returned to Adelaide in 1873. By 1881, Albion James had retired and divided his time between Adelaide and London before permanently leaving South Australia in 1885.

A. E. & F. Tolley

In 1874, the eldest son Albion E. Tolley formed a partnership with Phillip Charles J. Campbell to operate a licensed store initially on Peel Street, which was later relocated to Leigh Street. This partnership ended in 1875, with Campbell continuing as a salesman for the firm. The following year, Albion E. acquired Haussen's wine and liquor store on Currie Street.

Albion Everard Tolley (1849–1922), born in Sunbury-on-Thames and educated at St Peter's College in Adelaide after emigrating as a child, returned from England in 1870. He gained commercial experience through work with Jones, Scott & Co., Melbourne. Additionally, he served as Vice-Commodore of the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron and pursued horticultural interests at his residence in Unley Park.

In 1883, Albion E. joined forces with his brother Frederick Osborne Tolley (1856–1913) to establish A. E. & F. Tolley, operating out of premises leased from Thomas Hardy and Sons at 85 Currie Street until 1901. Frederick was recognized for his warm hospitality and maintained an impressive garden at his home in Gilberton.

The company broadened its reach by opening stores in Fremantle, Esperance, and Norseman across Western Australia. In 1891, they acquired the Grenfell Street business Heseltine and Reid; two years later, along with George Milne, they purchased the wine and spirits inventory of the S.A. Brewing, Malting and Wine and Spirit Company Limited as it shifted focus toward beer production.

On 30 July 1910, A. E. & F. Tolley transitioned into a limited liability family company with directors including Albion E., Frederick O. Tolley, and Alfred E. Stephens; numerous family members held board positions. In 1913, new facilities were constructed at 82 Waymouth Street.

Tolley, Scott & Tolley

The enterprise began as the East Torrens Wine Making and Distillation Company established in Stepney, South Australia, in 1858 but failed due to inadequate funding and was dissolved by 1862. Subsequently, Swedish coppersmith Hakan Linde took over and developed a successful distillation operation known as the "Phoenix Distillery."

Ernest Alfred "Tim" Tolley (1862–1925) and Douglas Austral "Doug" Tolley (1866–1932), both alumni of St Peter's College and King's College London, amassed considerable expertise in winemaking and distillation throughout Europe before apprenticing under Thomas Scott in London. Scott had distilling experience spanning Jersey, Peru, and London; he returned to Adelaide with the Tolley brothers in 1888. That year they acquired the Phoenix Distillery and expanded its production capabilities. John Linnett became a fourth partner in 1891 and took charge of managing operations.

To address surplus grape production challenges faced by growers around Nuriootpa, Angaston, and Tanunda during the early 1890s, Tolley, Scott & Tolley established the Angas Park distillery on land provided by local vintners. This facility manufactured T.S.T.-branded brandy and spirits used for fortified wines, which stabilized grower prices while facilitating a profitable export market.

The company further expanded by purchasing the Nuriootpa Cellars winery in 1898 along with adjoining farmland called "Bucklands." The distillation plant at Nuriootpa was modernized in 1904 to enhance output capacity.

In 1921, the firm reorganized as a limited liability company with Arthur Scott Linnett serving as secretary until his resignation in 1927. By 1924, Tolley, Scott & Tolley possessed extensive bonded storage at Nuriootpa and had cultivated a strong export presence; over half of their brandy production was shipped to Singapore and Malaya. Management responsibilities transitioned to Sam and Len Tolley around this period.

Operations at Stepney ceased around 1946 when facilities were repurposed for brandy maturation processes. The company went public in 1959 before being acquired by The Distillers Company's Australian subsidiary in 1961. By 1972, the Stepney buildings had been refurbished into corporate office space.

Douglas A. Tolley Pty, Ltd.

Apart from his association with T.S.T. in 1891, Douglas A. Tolley established a vineyard and winery located in Hope Valley. By the year 1903, the cultivated area of his vineyard extended to approximately . Leadership of the company passed to his son, Leonard J. Tolley, who concentrated on producing bulk wines aimed at interstate distribution. Following Leonard’s passing, management responsibilities were shared among his three sons: Peter, David, and Reginald. In the mid-1970s, David Tolley introduced the Tolley Pedare gewurztraminer grape cultivar. The fourth generation was represented by Christopher, son of Peter. In 1995, Mildara Blass took ownership of the winery.

Family

Albion James Tolley (1819 – 12 January 1901) and his wife Fanny Tolley (née Darbon) (1830 – 27 December 1899) emigrated to Australia in 1853, initially settling in North Adelaide before relocating to Surrey, England. Their offspring included:

• Albion Everard Tolley (1849 – 7 June 1922), who married three times and was a member of the board for A.E. & F. Tolley.

• • Eric Everard Tolley (deceased 1943), spouse of Joyce Athol MacArthur.
    • Dirk Everard Tolley (born 1924)
    • Ryk Everard Tolley (1924–1973), chaired AEFT from 1966 to 1973 and was involved in a family estate legal dispute.
  • Lloyd Everard Tolley (1899–1929), married Jean Morish Nicholls.
  • Jill Lloyd Tolley, who wed footballer William "Bill" Morris and subsequently Richard Henwood Fidock AO, serving as AEFT chairman around 1975.

• Harriet Darbon Tolley (circa 1855–1919), married architect Ernest Henry Bayer.
• Frederick Osborne Tolley (1856–1913), served on AEFT’s board.
• Sydney Constantine Tolley BA LLB (1858–1896), married Lucy Gray Bayer.
• Ada Tolley (born 1860), relocated to Calcutta in 1894.
• Ernest Alfred Tolley (1862–1925), AEFT board member; married Ada Rosalie Ebsworth.

• • Samuel Elderton "Sam" Tolley (1893–1966), World War I veteran and founder of Elderton vineyard in Nuriootpa.
  • Vera Tolley (born 1896), married Captain Auguste J.C. de Bavay.

• Edith Tolley (born 1864), married George Newell Nairn.

• • Douglas Newell Nairn MBE, served with the Royal Flying Corps during WWI.

• Douglas Austral Tolley (1866–1932), married Emily Adelaide Armbruster.

• • Reginald Douglas Tolley (1893–1952), operated as a publican in New South Wales; death circumstances were suspicious.
  • Leonard James "Len" Tolley (1897–1965), board member of AEFT.

• Peter James Tolley (1920–1987), worked with T.S.T. and Hope Valley; inducted into Barons of Barossa in 1976.
• David Leonard Tolley (1923–2005), viticultural expert.
• Reginald Lester "Reg" Tolley (1927–2010), married Judith Anne Penfold Hyland.

• Kym Tolley, a vigneron based in Coonawarra.

(Note: AEFT refers to A.E. & F. Tolley Limited’s board membership.)

Sources

• Bishop, Geoffrey C. The Vineyards of Adelaide Lynton Publications Pty. Ltd., Blackwood, SA.