The Castlemaine Brewery was opened in 1896 by Howard Norman Sleigh[1] at Riverside Road in East Fremantle, Western Australia[2] and boasted a successful trading history until 1927 when the company was taken over by the Swan Brewery.
History
The Castlemaine Brewery was established in 1896 by Howard Norman Sleigh (1870–1957), with John Hugh Gracie (1855–1927) as head brewer. Sleigh, who was born in Bristol, emigrated to Australia in 1888, with his father Hamilton Norman Sleigh, an English Brewer. Sleigh was previously involved in establishing the West Australian Brewery at Barndon Hill (now known as Burswood), leaving the business in mid-1896. The West Australian Brewery became the Swallow Brewery in 1905, and in 1912 the Red Castle Brewery until it closed in 1953. Gracie, who was born in Tasmania, was the chief brewer at Cascade Brewery prior to moving to Western Australia.[3] The brewing equipment was sourced by Sleigh from a former brewery at