Firkin Brewery
The Firkin Brewery was a chain of pubs in the United Kingdom. The original UK chain is now defunct, but a number of pubs operate under the Firkin name in other countries. The chain took its name from the firkin, an old English unit of volume.
Established in 1979 by David Bruce as Bruce's Brewery, the Firkin Brewery grew as a chain of mostly brewpubs offering cask ale. It was acquired by Midsummer Leisure in 1988, Stakis Leisure in 1990 and and then by Allied Domecq in 1991, rapidly expanding thereafter.[1] In 1999, Punch Taverns bought the entire chain and the rights to the Firkin brand,[2] and then sold 110 of the pubs to Bass, leaving 60 Firkin pubs under Punch ownership.[3] The brewery side of the chain was wound up, and in March 2001 Punch announced that the Firkin brand was to be discontinued.[4]
Most of the pubs are now owned by Mitchells and Butlers (formerly Bass), and many have been rebranded as Scream, O'Neills or Goose pubs. Some of the Punch Taverns-owned Firkins were rebranded as Mr Q's or Bar Room Bar pubs. A small handful of establishments still retain the Firkin branding.
The pubs were distinguishable because they all followed the same naming convention: The ---- and Firkin, where ---- was usually a word, beginning with either "F" or "Ph", which had some connection to the pub building or to the local area.
The Firkin Brewery also gave out T-shirts for anyone who managed at least 12 pubs in the Firkin Crawl. A "passport", issued by the Brewery, would be filled with a stamp from each pub visited, and public transport directions to the nearest pub in the crawl would also be in the "passport". Although there was no stipulation in the rules that the 12 pubs had to be completed on the same day, this was often the goal of participants.
Contents |
[edit] Firkin pubs outside the UK
[edit] North America
Firkin pubs in Canada and the United States operate under the Firkin Group Of Pubs franchise, a chain of English theme pubs founded in Ontario, Canada in 1987.[5] The naming scheme for the pubs is similar to that of the UK chain (for example, "The Crown and Firkin", in Whitby, Ontario, Canada), and many Firkin Group pubs in fact share their names with former UK Firkin Brewery pubs. In the United States, the franchise pubs are named with "Firkin" first, as in "The Firkin & Fox" as opposed to "The Fox & Firkin".
The pub chain once credited itself as being the "largest and fastest growing" group of pubs in North America. Lately the claim is "largest & most dominant chain of traditional English pubs" in North America. About 10 pubs have closed out of the about 25 pubs that have opened since 2005. New pubs have opened about every 6 months, keeping the overall number of open pubs around 15. Typically the demographic ranges from parents with children during the day to an older drinking crowd in the evenings and late night. Although the menu is somewhat limited, the food is on pace with other more well known bar & grill restaurants.
The current list of active pubs in the United States as of December 2009 is listed below.
[edit] Australia
A number of independent English-style pubs in Australia use "Firkin" in their names, such as the Firkin and Hound in Alice Springs.[6]
[edit] List of Firkin pubs
[edit] UK pubs
| Firkin Name | Location | Current Name | Current Brand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricant and Firkin | Huddersfield | Warehouse | Scream |
| Faculty and Firkin | Aston University, Birmingham | Gosta Green | Scream |
| Factor and Firkin | Paisley | ||
| Fahrenheit and Firkin | Woking | O'Neills | |
| Fair and Firkin | Nottingham | Firstly Horn In Hand (Scream), now Spanky Van Dyke's | |
| Fairfield and Firkin | Govan, Glasgow | ||
| Falcon and Firkin | Hackney, London | The Victoria Park now called The Britannia | |
| Fantail and Firkin | Muswell Hill, London | O'Neills | |
| Faraday and Firkin | Battersea, London | The Goat | |
| Farmyard and Firkin | Aylesbury | The Harrow | |
| Fathom and Firkin | Worthing | The Assembly | |
| Fatling and Firkin | Hornchurch, London | ||
| Faun and Firkin | Leicester Square, London | Fudge | |
| Fayre and Firkin | Ashby De La Zouch | The Bulls Head | |
| Feast and Firkin | Leeds | The Library | Scream |
| Featherie and Firkin | St. Andrews | The Raisin | Scream |
| Fedora and Firkin | Luton | Bellini | |
| Felis and Firkin | Kenilworth, Warwickshire | The Lion | |
| Felon and Firkin | Leeds | O'Neills | |
| Felons and Firkin | Knowle | The Red Lion | |
| Fermenter and Firkin | Wolverhampton | Billas Bar | |
| Ferret and Firkin (see note below) | Chelsea, London | Lots Road Pub and Dining Room | |
| Fettler and Firkin | Paddington, London | ||
| Fettlers and Firkin | Nuneaton | ||
| Fewterer and Firkin | Sydenham, London | ||
| Fez and Firkin | Reading | The Turks (reviving its pre-Firkin name, The Turk's Head) | |
| Fiddler and Firkin | Croydon, London | Firstly reverted to its original name The Duke's Head, then became the Apatura restaurant | |
| Fielder and Firkin | Sutton, London | The Prince Regent | |
| Fieldmouse and Firkin | Moseley, Birmingham | The Fighting Cocks | Goose |
| Figurehead and Firkin | Bristol | The River | |
| Filament and Firkin | Newcastle | Goose | |
| Filibuster and Firkin | Darlington | Retro | |
| Filly and Firkin | Nottingham | The Rose of England | |
| Financier and Firkin | Kingston upon Thames, London | Now a Pizza restaurant | |
| Finch and Firkin | Liverpool | The Brookhouse | Scream |
| Fine Leg and Firkin | Swansea, Wales | The Cricketers | |
| Finings and Firkin | Warley | The Bridge | |
| Finn and Firkin | Stirchley | The Hibernian (now Dogpool Hotel) | |
| Finnesko and Firkin | Norwich | The Reindeer | |
| Firecracker and Firkin | Crawley | The Railway | |
| Firefly and Firkin | Bournemouth | The Inferno | Scream |
| Fish and Firkin | Southend-on-Sea | The Alex | Scream |
| Fitchew and Firkin | Rugby, Warwickshire | The Bull | |
| Fitter and Firkin | Partick, Glasgow | Boho Club | |
| Fitzooth and Firkin | Broomhill, Sheffield | Nottingham House | |
| Fizgig and Firkin | Exeter | Starz Bar | |
| Flag and Firkin | Watford | The Flag (echoing the original name of the smaller former benskins brewery pub 'the pennant'.) | |
| Flamingo and Firkin | Kingston upon Thames, London | Kingston Tup | |
| Flanker and Firkin | Coventry | The Hare and Squirrel | |
| Flapper and Firkin | Birmingham | The Flapper | |
| Flare and Firkin | Aberdeen | The Holburn | Arena |
| Flax and Firkin | Preston | The Assembly | |
| Fledgling and Firkin | Hertford | Blackbirds | |
| Fleece and Firkin | Bristol | The Fleece | |
| Flicker and Firkin | Richmond upon Thames, London | The Lot | Scream |
| Flitch and Firkin | Leigh | The Boars Head | |
| Flock and Firkin | Walsall | The Wheatsheaf | |
| Floozey and Firkin | Woodseats, Sheffield | Woodseats Hotel | |
| Florikan and Firkin | Bedminster, Bristol | Bay Bar | |
| Flounder and Firkin | Holloway, London | Bar Cosa | |
| Flower and Firkin | Kew, London | ||
| Fly and Firkin | Middlesbrough | Southfield | Scream |
| Flyhalf and Firkin | Cardiff | The Queen's Vaults | |
| Flyer and Firkin | Reading | Oakford Social Club | |
| Flyman and Firkin | Central London | O'Neills | |
| Fog and Firkin | Newcastle | Stereo Bar | |
| Font and Firkin now called The Font | Brighton | ||
| Fool and Firkin | Plymouth | Woodside Inn | |
| Footage and Firkin (previously called The Flea and Firkin) |
Manchester | Footage | Scream |
| Footbridge and Firkin |
Clifton, Bristol | The Mall | |
| Ford and Firkin | Romford, London | The Bitter End | |
| Forger and Firkin | Guildford | The Drummond Arms | |
| Forester and Firkin | Stafford | The Firkin | |
| Fornax and Firkin | South Harrow | Star | |
| Formula and Firkin | Weybridge | Hand and Spear | |
| Fort and Firkin | Windsor | Browns | |
| Forum and Firkin | Bath | O'Neills | |
| Fo'c's'le and Firkin | Hull | ||
| Foundry and Firkin | Sheffield | Bar S1 | |
| Fourpence and Firkin | Leicester | O'Neills | |
| Fowl and Firkin | Coventry | The Aardvark | Scream |
| Fox and Firkin | Lewisham, London | The Fox | The TCG Group |
| Francis and Firkin | Chatham, Kent | The Old Post Office | |
| Franklin and Firkin | Canterbury | The Old Buttermarket | |
| Freebooter and Firkin | Plymouth | ||
| Freedom and Firkin | Tooting, London | The George (now Gardenhouse)[7] | |
| Freelance and Firkin | Dundee | Duke's Corner | |
| Freestyle and Firkin | Bradford | now closed | |
| Freetrader and Firkin | Bristol | The Crown | |
| Fresher and Firkin | Cambridge | The Graduate | Scream |
| Friar and Firkin | Central London | The Rocket | Scream |
| Friary and Firkin | Lancaster | The Friary | Scream |
| Friesian and Firkin | Clapham, London | The Calf | |
| Fringe and Firkin | Shepherd's Bush, London | O'Neills | |
| Frog and Firkin | Central London | (closed on its original site (now a Russian restaurant named Babushka's) and relocated to ladbroke grove where it continued until 2003, after which it returned to its original name, the Elgin) | |
| Fruit and Firkin | Bracknell | The Goose | Goose |
| Fruitmaker and Firkin | Glasgow | O'Neills | |
| Fuggle and Firkin | Oxford | Goose | |
| Fugitive and Firkin | Norwich | The Lawyer | |
| Fullback and Firkin | Leicester | Polar Bear | Scream |
| Fulmar and Firkin | Holborn, London | Parker Place [Currently Closed, undergoing refurbishment] | |
| Furlong and Firkin | Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire | The Cornerhouse | |
| Furze and Firkin | Streatham, London | ||
| Fusilier and Firkin | Camden Lock, London | ||
| Fuzz and Firkin | Portsmouth | Goose | |
| Fuzzock and Firkin | Leicester | The Donkey | |
| Goose and Firkin | Southwark, London | The Duke of York | Shepherd Neame |
| Phalanx and Firkin | York | The Priory | Town |
| Phantom and Firkin | Plaistow London | (demolished 2002) | |
| Phantom and Firkin | Loughborough | Phantom | Scream |
| Pharaoh and Firkin | Fulham, London | (now closed) | O'Neills |
| Pheasant and Firkin | London | The Old Ivy House | |
| Philanderer and Firkin | Oxford | The Jericho | |
| Philanthropist and Firkin | St Albans | O'Neills | |
| Philatelist and Firkin | Bromley, London | O'Neills | |
| Philosopher and Firkin | Oxford | The University and City Arms | |
| Phizog and Firkin | Newport | The Six Bells | |
| Phoenix and Firkin | Camberwell, London | The Phoenix (Name chosen because the pub rose out of ruins after the listed building of Denmark Hill railway station was destroyed by fire in the 1980s.) | |
| Photographer and Firkin | Ealing, London | O'Neills | |
| Phrenologist and Firkin | Slough | The Assembly | |
| Physician and Firkin | Edinburgh | The Crags | Scream |
| Physio and Firkin | Leicester | The Phizz! Now demolished |
Note: The full name of the Ferret and Firkin, in Chelsea, was "The Ferret and Firkin in The Balloon Up The Creek". This referenced the original name of the pub - The Balloon - and its location, Chelsea Creek.
[edit] Canadian Firkin Pubs
| Firkin Name | City | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Badger & Firkin | Etobicoke | ON |
| Bear & Firkin | Pickering | ON |
| Beaver & Firkin | Scarborough | ON |
| Bull & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Churchmouse & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Crown & Firkin | Whitby | ON |
| Drake & Firkin | Mississauga | ON |
| Falcon & Firkin | Richmond Hill | ON |
| Falls & Firkin | Niagara Falls | ON |
| Ferret & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Fiddle & Firkin | Cambridge | ON |
| Filly & Firkin | Aurora | ON |
| Flatiron & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Fox & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Friar & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Frigate & Firkin | Brampton | ON |
| Frog & Firkin | North York | ON |
| Goose & Firkin | Don Mills | ON |
| Gull & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Hare & Firkin | Mississauga | ON |
| Lion & Firkin | Newmarket | ON |
| Moose & Firkin | Woodbridge | ON |
| Owl & Firkin | Markham | ON |
| Pheasant & Firkin | North York | ON |
| Quail & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Spitfire & Firkin | Tecumseh | ON |
| Squire & Firkin | Etobicoke | ON |
| Swan & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Tannery & Firkin | Kitchener | ON |
| Wolf & Firkin | Toronto | ON |
| Frog & Firkin | Vancouver | BC |
| Firkin & Knight | Ottawa | ON |
[edit] U.S. Firkin Group Pubs
| Firkin Name | City | State | Year Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firkin & Phoenix | Houston | TX | 2006 |
| Firkin & Kegler | Orlando | FL | 2008 |
| Firkin & Hound | South Riding | VA | 2006 (Closed 2008) |
| Firkin & Hound | Visalia | CA | 2008 (Closed 4/09, Re-opened 10/12/09) |
| Firkin & Frog | Vancouver | WA | 2008 (Closed 6/2009) |
| Firkin & Frigate | Newport News | VA | 2006 (Closed 3/27/11) |
| Firkin & Friar | Tucson | AZ | 2007 (Closed 2009, Opened as "Canyon's Crown") |
| Firkin & Crown | Cumming | GA | 2009 |
| Firkin & Fox | Albany | NY | 2005 (Closed 04/09 - now is under a new name) |
| Firkin & Pheasant | Chicago | IL | 2009 |
| Firkin & Fox | Burton | MI | 2005 |
| Firkin & Fox | Carson City | NV | 2008 |
| Firkin & Wolf | Reno | NV | 2010 |
| Firkin & Fox | Glen Ellyn | IL | 2006 (Closed 08/07 Now the "Tap House") |
| Firkin & Fox | Des Moines | IA | 2007 (Closed 06/09) |
| Firkin & Fox | Dulles | VA | 2006 |
| Firkin & Fox | Modesto | CA | 2008 |
| Firkin & Fox | Morgantown | WV | 2007 (Closed 2008) |
| Firkin & Bull | Wichita | KS | 2008 (Closed 2010) |
| Firkin & Beaver | Tracy | CA | 2008 (Closed January 2010) |
| Firkin & Lindbergh | Atlanta | GA | 2009 |
| Firkin & Gryphon | Atlanta | GA | 2010 (newest opened 12/8/10) |
| Firkin & Fox | Bradenton | FL | 2008 |
| Firkin & Bulldog | Stafford | VA | 2008 |
[edit] Continental European pubs
| Firkin Name | Location | Country | Current Name | Current Brand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiddler and Firkin | The Hague | Netherlands | Fiddler | |
| Florin and Firkin | Utrecht | Netherlands | Florin |
[edit] References
- ^ The Firkin Pubs
- ^ Allied says yes to Punch but leaves door open to bidders
- ^ Industry Watch 1 - the Major Players
- ^ Firkin chain to go as Punch Taverns looks to future - Telegraph
- ^ Company Details
- ^ fox hound alice springs british at firkinhound.com
- ^ http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/53/531/George/Tooting George, Tooting, London, http://www.beerintheevening.com, URL last accessed 2007-05-29
