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A rare collection of British beer marketing posters dating back to the 1950s has been discovered in Kent and preserved in the Shepherd Neame archive.

The Tavern Topics posters were produced by British artist Clive Uptton, who worked as a political cartoonist during the Second World War, and is perhaps best known for illustrating the classic series of Ladybird children’s books published in the 1960s.

A series of 20 posters was commissioned during the early 1950s by The Brewers’ Society to promote beer and pubs, and offered information on subjects including ‘How Beer Is Brewed’, ‘Going Hopping’, ‘The Welcome Inn’ and ‘The Guv’nor’.

Faversham-based brewery Shepherd Neame has just added 18 of the posters to its archive, after they were discovered during a house clearance in the Isle of Sheppey.

Brewery archivist and historian, John Owen, said: “We are fortunate that Shepherd Neame is well known as Britain’s oldest brewer, so we get contacted by many people who have found some historical pub or brewing artefacts and want to know more about them. We were delighted when these posters were brought to us, as they are very rare.”

In order to share the classic posters with a wider audience, Shepherd Neame is now planning to reproduce them and put framed copies throughout its pub estate.

John added: “It is interesting to see that the topics covered by the posters in the 1950s are exactly the same as the topics everyone is concerned with today, such as brewing techniques, the price of a pint, and the importance of supporting your local. We would love to hear from anyone else who has either of the remaining posters, so we can try and complete our collection.”

• If you have any information on the Tavern Topics posters or any other brewing or pub memorabilia, email comms@shepherdneame.co.ukor phone 01795 532206.