Kent Town Brewery


Kent Town Brewery was a brewery in Kent Town, a suburb adjacent to the city of Adelaide on its eastern side, in South Australia. Its original name was Logue's Brewery, after its first proprietor.

History

The brewery was founded on King William Street, Kent Town near First Creek in 1856 by Capt. Henry Spencer Crawford, and Edward Logue. Their partnership was dissolved in July 1857. Crawford appears to have been in charge of setting up the process. The brewery was from the start known as "Logue's Brewery", he being both proprietor and brewer.
Logue had earlier been involved in the Halifax Street Brewery as a financial partner in W. H. Clark & Co.
In March 1862 the brewery and the adjacent house, occupied by Logue and his family, was destroyed by fire.
This was followed in August by a flood, which swept two of his men, who were working to protect the building, into the culvert under King William Street, and one was drowned. The brewery was back in action early in 1863.
Sometime around 1860 he took E. T. Smith on as a partner.
Logue died in 1865; his will would be the subject of a legal dispute.
Smith continued operating the business, which he renamed Kent Town Brewery, and two years later was its proprietor.
The cellars were enlarged in 1868.
Kent Town was subjected to another major flooding in July 1873, which did considerable damage to nearby properties, but apart from minor incursion into the cellars and some undercutting of the foundations the brewery was unaffected.
In Smith contracted Thomas English as architect for new premises completed 1876 at the nearby corner of Rundle Street and Dequetteville Terrace. Brown & Thompson were the builders.
He also had nine workmen's cottages built at the rear of the premises by contractor Dickin.
In 1888 the South Australian Brewing, Malting, and Wine and Spirit Company was formed to take over the assets of The Kent Town Brewery, West End Brewery and Rounsevell & Simms's wine and spirit business.

Building conversion

The malt towers of the old Kent Town Brewery have now been turned into luxury apartments overlooking the Adelaide Park Lands and Adelaide city centre.