Shepherd Neame will be opening its doors and showcasing its heritage to the public as part of the first Open Faversham event, from 14th-18th August.
The historic Shepherd Neame brewery, in Faversham
The Faversham-based brewer will be holding a free Heritage and Archives Exhibition at its historic brewery in Court Street.
Open Faversham is a celebration of the town and what it has to offer. It is led by The Faversham Society and the Friends of St Mary of Charity Church. They have encouraged dozens of local organisations, businesses, charities, and groups to stage events — many of which are free — between Saturday, 12th August, and Sunday, 20th August.
Shepherd Neame’s exhibition has been organised by its archivist and historian, John Owen. It is free to enter from the brewery’s main reception, between 10.30am and 4.30pm each day from Monday to Friday.
The exhibition takes place in the King James Room, named after King James II, who was captured while escaping to France by local seamen and brought to the brewery for one day in 1688. The room was also at the core of the earliest incarnation of the brewery, which looked like the adjoining medieval visitor centre until it was adapted and re-fronted.
Shepherd Neame archivist John Owen
The exhibition will include a sample of Shepherd Neame records and memorabilia, such as engravings, plans, photographs, maps, ledgers, caricatures, bottles, spirit flagons, and a cast iron safe.
“Shepherd Neame has been at the heart of the port and market town from at least the 16th century,” said John Owen. “It is a thriving business which is also heritage in action.
“The displays aim to show a little of the development of the business, its extraordinary continuity, and hence how today is merely history in another place.”
