Star Brewery

Lore & Background

The brewery was founded in 1708 by Benjamin Wilson as an attachment to the Star Inn on the high street, then the main road to the City of London, and beside the River Rom. The inn and brewery were purchased by Edward Ind in 1799, becoming part of Ind Smith, and from 1845 the company was known as Ind Coope when Octavius and Edward Coope joined. Romford railway station opened to the south of the site in 1839, and in the 1860s a connection was made between the goods yard in South Street and the brewery via a tunnel under the railway line, enabling significant expansion. By 1908, with its own network of railway sidings, the brewery employed 450 workers, and by 1970 it occupied 20 acres and had 1,000 workers. The brewery produced John Bull Bitter, named after the archetypal English farmer.

Reader's Guide

The Star Brewery's significance lies in its long history as a main industry and major employer in Romford, growing from a small inn attachment to a large operation with its own railway sidings and a workforce of 1,000 by 1970. Its closure in 1993 marked the end of an era, but the site's redevelopment as The Brewery shopping centre in 2001 preserved a physical link to the past: one of the 160 ft chimneys was incorporated into the design. Part of the site also houses the Havering Museum, ensuring the brewery's legacy is remembered. The brewery's product, John Bull Bitter, tied its identity to a national symbol, the archetypal English farmer. The access to the railway, via a tunnel under the line built in the 1860s, was a key factor in its expansion, allowing it to become a significant industrial presence in the area.

Did You Know?

• A tunnel under the railway line connected the brewery to the goods yard in South Street in the 1860s.
• One of the brewery's 160 ft chimneys was incorporated into the design of The Brewery shopping centre.