History

Lacons was the most famous name in Yarmouth brewing for two centuries, its roots going back to a brewery founded in 1640 by Jeffrey Ward and acquired by a Mr Lacon in 1760.

The brewery did well and by 1850 was supplying not only local pubs but also 50 establishments in London. Its success was reflected in the building in 1865 of a distinctive arched gateway leading to the brewery, followed three years later by the construction of a dedicated railway siding.

The business was registered as Lacon and Co Ltd in April 1894 and the foundation stone for a new brewery laid in June 1895. By 1936 Lacons had 171 pubs in Great Yarmouth and served premises as far away as Newcastle.

Whitbread took a 20% stake in the company in 1957, eventually buying it for a reported £3.2 million in 1965. It shut the Yarmouth brewery on February 28th 1968.