PHOTOGRAPHY|WRITING|CREATIVE WRITING

Walking London: a Photo-tour of the British Capital

Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co.

Many people think that craft beer is a recent phenomenon invented by heavily tattooed hipsters. Yet, the world of breweries and pale ales goes back centuries in the British capital. On a recent bicycle ride I came across a couple of places in east London that still bear witness to the importance this industry had in the UK.

For more than three centuries the British brewery Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co. operated in Brick Lane. Built in 1669, it expanded in the 18th century, opening a new brewery, The Black Eagle, on Brick Lane (the building is still there today, but since the brewery closed down in 1988, it has housed offices, galleries, shops and restaurants instead).

Further evidence of the influence of Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co, can be seen in the myriad pubs that still have the firm’s name on their walls. At some point the company managed to produce about 305,000 hl of porter per year. Its reputation earned it a place in Dickens’ David Copperfield.

I would raise a glass of beer to this British institution (long gone, sadly, although its legacy is very much present), but as a teetotaller, I’ll stick to a non-alcoholic Clwb Tropica. You, on the other hand, readers, are allowed to choose your tipple. Cheers!

You can buy me a coffee here.