Warehouse G?

An interesting fact we learned was that the Dickens Inn was actually just a wooden warehouse for the Goodwyn Skinner and Thornthon Brewery (which was later the Hoare & Co. Brewery), called warehouse ‘G’ with data tracing back to the 1700’s.

The warehouse was originally located on a side of the Thames, about 70 metres away from its actual location. In the 1820’s its timber frame was covered by a brick layer to make it more similar and conforming to the whole ‘look’ of the St. Katarine’s dock, which was designed by the Scottish Thomas Telford. Even though the building was ‘untouched’ by the World War II 1939-1945 air raids the building was meant to be demolished in the 1970`s due to a site redevolepment and this is when the timber frame structure inside was discovered, hence the developers decided to move the 120 tones timber frame 70 meters and is now in its present site.

According to the book ‘The Brewing History: A Guide to Historical Records’ the company started as Red Lion Brewhouse, in Lower East Smithfield in 1492, Robert, the Earl of Leicester was the freeholder in Elizabethan times and interesting fact, it was owned by Sir John Parsons (Mayor of London) in the 1660’s. During the 1796 the partnership running the brewery consisted on Henry Goodwyn, William Skinner and Thomas Thornthon and then in 1802 Henry Hoare of Hoare’s Bank joined in, and in 1894 became part of Hoare & Co Ltd. Also according to the Guildhall library records, the warehouse was insured by the Company of London Insurers. Still the biggest mystery to me is how the warehouse was used in between its ‘layering’ of brick in 1828 and it’s moving of location in the 1970’s.