Old Tom

1827 - 1838

How It All Began

William Robinson became landlord of the Unicorn Inn and went on to own the pub. The Unicorn Inn at the heart of Stockport evolved to become Unicorn Brewery, which was built upon the foundations of this first pub. Soon after 1859 Frederic Robinson took over the inn and began to expand the brewing business which eventually became Robinsons Limited.

Famous Cats: Puss In Boots

It's a 'rags to riches' tale of a cat whose riches are gained through the trickery of an expert 'con man' - The Puss of the title. The hero of the story receives all his wealth and his Princess bride as a result of a 'Cat Scam'!

1876

Robinsons Buys First Pub

The first pub of what grew to become a pub estate of over 350 pubs across Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Wales and Cumbria, was originally called The Railway (as it was close to the village station) and located in Marple Bridge. It has since been rebuilt and renamed the Royal Scot, though it's fair to say this pub still has pride of place in the Robinsons estate.

Famous Cats: Cheshire Cat

A fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.

1920

New Brew House

The new coppers to boil the wurt and hops arrived in the brewery to work hard for over 90 years, before being replaced ready for the new brew house launch in 2012.

The Leyland Fleet

The proud Leyland Fleet, pictured at the Unicorn Brewery in 1920.

Famous Cats: Tom Kitten

The Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book, written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter.

1929

Acquiring Schofield Brewery

Robinsons looked to expand and adapt to changes in the market making Schofield’s Brewery their second major brewery acquisition. William bought Schofield’s in 1926, a purchase which included 42 houses that were a very useful addition to the growing Robinson’s estate. The wine and spirit business that was already incorporated into Schofield’s was a welcome new venture. Brands such as Carmen Sherry and Don Manuel Port continue to this day.

Famous Cats: Felix The Cat

Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cats of all.

1976

Unicorn Packaging Centre

The Unicorn Packaging Centre opens with a bottling capability of around 300 bottles per minute, 18,000 per hour, 850,000 per day, or 1.1 million per week. The opening of UPC allowed Robinsons to start sharing Old Tom with the rest of the world.

Famous Cats: Bagpuss

Bagpuss was a popular UK children's television series. The title character is 'an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams'.

1982

Acquiring Hartley’s Brewery

On the 26th July 1982 Frederic Robinson Limited purchased Hartley's, adding its 56 houses to the existing Robinsons estate of 360 houses and off-licences in North West England and North Wales. The Hartley's estate with its many country pubs fitted in well with the Robinsons estate, and the two breweries had similar draught beer traditions. The Old Brewery continued to brew 'Beers from the Wood' as well as new ale Fellrunners, which was introduced in 1988.

Famous Cats: Garfield

Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis that chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield. As of 2007, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers, and held the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.