Kent Brewery (London)

Ownership & corporate history

1. Owned by John Hamilton (Kent Brewery, London)1861 – 1887

   Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.

   What the sources say

   John Hamilton purchased the business with a partner in 1861 and later became sole owner. Source: https://acolondon.ca/news/2021/1/30/designation-of-183-and-197-ann-street-under-the-ontario-heritage-actnbspand-planning-application-file-oz-9127

2. Owned by Joseph Hamilton (Kent Brewery, London)1887

   Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.

   What the sources say

   City heritage material says Joseph Hamilton took over and ran the brewery until prohibition-era closure; exact proprietorship paperwork not separately retrieved. Source: https://london.ca/newsroom/public-notice/public-notices-may-19-2022

Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.

Where it brewed

1. 197 Ann Street, London, ON
   London, Ontario

   SURVIVING HISTORICAL BREWERY BUILDING

   Operated by Kent Brewery (London)

   Site detail

   Rare surviving Victorian brewery complex; brewer's house at 183 Ann Street is a related historical site.

Events

1. John Hamilton and a partner purchased the brewery business; Hamilton later became sole owner.1861

   Surviving site at 197 Ann.

2. Joseph Hamilton took over the Kent Brewery after John Hamilton's death.1887

   FAMILY_SUCCESSION

   Historical person disambiguated from Silver Fox director.

3. Kent Brewery closed in response to prohibition; reliable heritage sources differ between 1916 and 1917.1916-19

   Closure

   Do not force a single year until stronger evidence resolves it.

4. City of London heritage/planning research states Joseph Hamilton ran Kent Brewery through 1917, when it closed during prohibition.1917

   Closure

   Earlier 1916 claims remain preserved as conflicting secondary sources.