page_title: Tolly Cobbold
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Tolly Cobbold / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Cliff Brewery, Ipswich Former home of Tollemache and Cobbold. Home to a small E R &amp; F Turner steam engine.
context_page_description: Tolly Cobbold is a former brewery, with strong roots in Suffolk, England.
context_section_description: The name Tolly Cobbold is an amalgamation of the two family-run brewers: the Tollemache Brewery owned by the Tollemache family and the Cobbold Brewery owned by the Cobbold family.
  The original Cobbold brewery was founded in Harwich, Essex in 1723 and in 1746 the Cobbold Cliff Brewery was founded, at Cliff Lane, Ipswich. The current building of 1896 is a tower brewery by William Bradford.
  The Tollemache Brewery was founded in the 1880s by sons of John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache. The family acquired Ipswich Brewery from Cullingham & Co. in 1880,  the Essex Brewery at Walthamstow in 1920, a controlling share of the Star Brewery, Cambridge in 1930 and full control in 1947. Tollemache and Cobbold merged in 1957 to form Tolly Cobbold.
  Tolly Cobbold was taken over by Ellerman Lines in 1977 who sold it to the Barclay brothers in 1983 who then sold it to Brent Walker in 1989. Brent Walker announced they would close the brewery for development as a marina, with production of Tolly Cobbold beers to transfer to Camerons Brewery. Brian Cowie and Bob Wales led a management buy-out of the brewery (but not the pubs) for £4m, supported by the Tollemaches and Cobbolds among others. 
  The brewery was then acquired by Ridley's brewery in 2002. Three years later, Ridley's Brewery was taken over by Suffolk-based Greene King in 2005.
  Tolly Original, the only Tolly Cobbold beer that Ridley's continued to brew in Chelmsford, is likely to become extinct since Greene King are unlikely to continue brewing it. Greene King was the main sponsor of Ipswich Town F.C., which was established by the Cobbold family.
caption: Cliff Brewery, Ipswich
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