Shepherd Neame Timeline
Shepherd Neame is Britain's oldest brewer - and while 1698 is the Brewery's official founding date, there is clear evidence that its
heritage pre-dates even this period. This timeline details the significant events in the Company's history, from the first brewers in
Faversham to the arrival of the Shepherd family and the Neames, right up to its current status as a successful, award-winning business.
Shepherd and Eventually Neame
900AD-1300 – Early Days of Brewing
The discovery in 1970 of the Graveney boat – an Anglo-Saxon boat built circa 900AD – revealed the earliest evidence of hops in the UK. However,
Faversham's first known link with brewing follows the founding of the town's abbey in 1147 by King Stephen. Within the site was a brewhouse,
which produced ale for the monks.
The abbey was approximately one-third of a mile north of Shepherd Neame's present site with the brewhouse close to the north-east end of Abbey
Street above a well, containing natural, chalk-filtered water.
By 1327, brewing in Faversham was conducted by at least 86 women, known as ale wives. Most of them sold their beer from their homes, but
some were innkeepers.
Images courtesy of faversham.org
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