The Anchor Brewery, Southwark, was situated off Southwark Bridge Road and had its main entrance on Park Street, Southwark.
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The brewery was established in 1616 by James Monger and for many years was a relatively small concern. In the 18th century it was owned by the Thrale family, who were friends of the lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson.
In 1781 the brewery was taken over by Messrs. Barclay Perkins & Co., who turned it into the largest brewery in the world, producing over 330,000 barrels a year in 1815.
A fire broke out at the brewery in May 1832, destroying many buildings and resulting in considerable rebuilding of the site, which turned it into something of a visitor attraction. Visitors included the Prince of Wales, the German statesman Otto von Bismarck, Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, the Austrian general Julius Jacob von Haynau, who was attacked by draymen while touring the brewery in 1850, and the Italian nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1864.
In 1955 Barclay Perkins merged with Courage. In 1981 the buildings were demolished and the land sold for housing, though the brewery tap, the Anchor Tavern, remains.
The brewery was famous for its Russian Stout, which continued to be brewed by Courage and later Scottish & Newcastle until 1993.
The nearby Anchor Terrace was built in 1834, after the fire of 1832, for senior employees of the brewery and stands on top of William Shakespeare's original Globe Theatre.
Anchor Brewery should not be confused with Anchor Brewhouse, also in Southwark.