Catrine Brewery

Business: Catrine Brewery Co

Location: Catrine

Type: Brewery

The Catrine Brewery was established in 1789 as part of a planned village built by David Dale, of New Lanark fame, and Claud Alexander, a local landowner.

It was initially leased by Thomas Greenshields, who also owned the Kilmarnock Brewery, then by his nephew Thomas, and then by another nephew, Alexander. When Alexander died in 1844 it was acquired by Dr Andrew Ranken, who then sold it to James Barclay in 1849, who later established the Catrine Brewery Company in about 1867, and who sold the business in 1869 to John Turner and Hugh Wilson Ewing.

They, in turn, sold the business in 1889 to a partnership formed by John Wallace Paterson, William Park, and John Kemp (who had been the brewer at the Catrine Brewery from about 1880) which continued under the same name.

John Wallace Paterson died in 1908, after which his trustees maintained his interest in the business.

After William Park resigned from the partnership in 1913 John Kemp continued to run the brewery, until his death in 1914. Although the brewery is recorded as occupied by the company until 1919 it is likely that brewing ceased shortly after John's death.

After brewing ceased in about 1915 the brewery fell into disrepair and was eventually used by a garage and then as a builder's yard. Much of the site has been cleared and is now occupied by a modern housing development. However, some buildings survive on St Germain Street, part of which now incorporates the Brewery Inn.