Faversham's medieval brewers

Faversham's first known link with brewing follows the founding of the town's abbey in 1147 by King Stephen. The abbey was a third of a mile north of Shepherd Neame's present site, with the brewhouse close to the north-east end of Abbey Street. Similarly to the present-day Shepherd Neame brewery - which draws water from an on-site artesian well - the monastery brewhouse was built above a source of natural, chalk-filtered water.

Because ale was useful both as a sterilised drink and a source of nutrition, many homes in Faversham brewed a certain amount in their own domestic kitchens using a pair of cauldrons over a fire. By 1327, there were 87 brewsters (or ale-wives) in Faversham, as well as 66 tipplers and two inns for distribution, meaning that roughly every third dwelling in town had brewing facilities and more than half were involved in the brewing trade.