Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

Firkin Brewery

The Firkin Brewery was a chain of pubs in the United Kingdom. The original UK chain is now defunct, but a number of pubs operate under the Firkin name in other countries. The chain took its name from the firkin, an old English unit of volume.

Established in 1979 by David Bruce as Bruce's Brewery, the Firkin Brewery grew as a chain of mostly brewpubs offering cask ale. It was acquired by European Leisure in 1988 and then by Allied Domecq in 1991, rapidly expanding thereafter. In 1999, Punch Taverns bought the entire chain and the rights to the Firkin brand, and then sold 110 of the pubs to Bass, leaving 60 Firkin pubs under Punch ownership. The brewery side of the chain was wound up, and in March 2001 Punch announced that the Firkin brand was to be discontinued.

Most of the pubs are now owned by Mitchells and Butlers (formerly Bass), and many have been rebranded as Scream, O'Neills or Goose pubs. Some of the Punch Taverns-owned Firkins were rebranded as Mr Q's or Bar Room Bar pubs. A small handful of establishments still retain the Firkin branding.

The pubs were distinguishable because they all followed the same naming convention: The ---- and Firkin, where ---- was usually a word, beginning with either "F" or "Ph", which had some connection to the pub building or to the local area.

Firkin pubs outside the UK

North America

Firkin pubs in Canada and the United States operate under the Firkin Group Of Pubs franchise, a chain of English theme pubs founded in Ontario, Canada in 1987. The naming scheme for the pubs is similar to that of the UK chain (for example, "The Crown and Firkin", in Whitby, Ontario, Canada), and many Firkin Group pubs in fact share their names with former UK Firkin Brewery pubs.

The pub chain credits itself as being the "largest and fastest growing" group of pubs in North America. The Firkin Pub in Miami that closed in Coconut Grove vanished overnight. Also, there are a vast list of pubs on the company website, there are countless units throughout the world catering to a very blue-collar demographic.

Australia

A number of independent English-style pubs in Australia use "Firkin" in their names, such as the Firkin and Hound in Alice Springs.

List of Firkin pubs

UK pubs

Firkin Name	Location	Current Name	Current Brand
Fabricant and Firkin	Huddersfield	Warehouse	Scream
Faculty and Firkin	Aston University, Birmingham	Gosta Green	Scream
Factor and Firkin	Paisley	Clancy's
Factotum and Firkin	Birmingham	The Hill
Fahrenheit and Firkin	Woking		O'Neills
Fair and Firkin	Nottingham	Horn In Hand	Scream
Falcon and Firkin	Hackney, London	The Victoria Park
Fantail and Firkin	Muswell Hill, London		O'Neills
Faraday and Firkin	Battersea, London	The Goat
Farmyard and Firkin	Aylesbury	The Harrow
Fathom and Firkin	Worthing		The Assembly
Fatling and Firkin	Hornchurch, London
Faun and Firkin	Leicester Square, London		Fudge
Feast and Firkin	Leeds	The Library	Scream
Featherie and Firkin	St. Andrews	The Raisin	Scream
Fedora and Firkin	Luton	Bellini
Felis and Firkin	Kenilworth, Warwickshire	The Lion
Felon and Firkin	Leeds		O'Neills
Felons and Firkin	Knowle	The Red Lion
Fermenter and Firkin	Wolverhampton	Billas Bar
Ferret and Firkin (see note below)	Chelsea, London	Lots Road Pub and Dining Room
Fettler and Firkin	Paddington, London
Fettlers and Firkin	Nuneaton
Fairfield and Firkin	Govan, Glasgow
Fez and Firkin	Reading	The Turks (reviving its pre-Firkin name, The Turk's Head)
Fiddler and Firkin	Croydon, London	The Duke's Head	Mr Q's
Fielder and Firkin	Sutton, London	The Prince Regent
Fieldmouse and Firkin	Moseley, Birmingham		Goose
Figurehead and Firkin	Bristol	The River
Filament and Firkin	Newcastle		Goose
Filibuster and Firkin	Darlington	Retro
Finch and Firkin	Liverpool	The Brookhouse	Scream
Finings and Firkin	Warley	The Bridge
Finn and Firkin	Stirchley	The Hibernian
Finnesko and Firkin	Norwich	The Reindeer
Firecracker and Firkin	Crawley	The Railway
Firefly and Firkin	Bournemouth	The Inferno	Scream
Fish and Firkin	Southend-on-Sea	The Alex	Scream
Fitchew and Firkin	Rugby, Warwickshire	The Bull
Fitter and Firkin	Partick, Glasgow	Boho Club
Fitzooth and Firkin	Broomhill, Sheffield	Nottingham House
Fizgig and Firkin	Exeter	Starz Bar
Flag and Firkin	Watford	The Flag
Flamingo and Firkin	Kingston upon Thames, London	Kingston Tup
Financier and Firkin	Kingston upon Thames, London	Now a Pizza restaurant
Flanker and Firkin	Coventry	The Hare and Squirrel
Flapper and Firkin	Birmingham
Flare and Firkin	Aberdeen	The Holburn	Arena
Fledgling and Firkin	Hertford	Blackbirds
Fleece and Firkin	Bristol	The Fleece
Flicker and Firkin	Richmond upon Thames, London	The Lot	Scream
Flock and Firkin	Walsall	The Wheatsheaf
Floozey and Firkin	Woodseats, Sheffield	Woodseats Hotel
Flounder and Firkin	Holloway, London	Bar Cosa
Flower and Firkin	Kew, London
Fly and Firkin	Middlesbrough	Southfield	Scream
Flyhalf and Firkin	Cardiff	The Queen's Vaults
Flyer and Firkin	Reading	Oakford Social Club
Flyman and Firkin	Central London		O'Neills
Fog and Firkin	Newcastle	Stereo Bar
Font and Firkin	Brighton
Footage and Firkin (previously called The Flea and Firkin)	Manchester	Footage	Scream
Footbridge and Firkin	Clifton, Bristol	The Mall
Ford and Firkin	Romford, London	The Bitter End
Forger and Firkin	Guildford	The Drummond Arms
Forester and Firkin	Stafford	The Firkin
Formula and Firkin	Weybridge	Hand and Spear
Fort and Firkin	Windsor	Browns
Forum and Firkin	Bath		O'Neills
Foundry and Firkin	Sheffield	Bar S1
Fourpence and Firkin	Leicester		O'Neills
Fowl and Firkin	Coventry	The Aardvark	Scream
Fox and Firkin	Lewisham, London	The Fox
Franklin and Firkin	Canterbury	The Old Buttermarket
Freedom and Firkin	Tooting, London		The George (now Gardenhouse)
Freelance and Firkin	Dundee	The Doghouse
Freetrader and Firkin	Bristol	The Crown
Fresher and Firkin	Cambridge	The Graduate	Scream
Friar and Firkin	Central London	The Rocket	Scream
Friary and Firkin	Lancaster	The Friary	Scream
Friesian and Firkin	Clapham, London	The Calf
Fringe and Firkin	Shepherd's Bush, London		O'Neills
Frog and Firkin	Central London	(now closed)
Fruitmaker and Firkin	Glasgow		O'Neills
Fuggle and Firkin	Oxford		Goose
Fullback and Firkin	Leicester	Polar Bear	Scream
Fulmar and Firkin	Holborn, London	Parker Place [Currently Closed, undergoing refurbishment]
Furze and Firkin	Streatham, London		Goose
Fuzz and Firkin	Portsmouth		Goose
Fuzzock and Firkin	Leicester	The Donkey
Goose and Firkin	Southwark, London	The Duke of York	Shepherd Neame
Phantom and Firkin	Plaistow London	(demolished 2002)
Phantom and Firkin	Loughborough	Phantom	Scream
Pharaoh and Firkin	Fulham, London	(now closed)	O'Neills
Pheasant and Firkin	London	The Old Ivy House
Philanderer and Firkin	Oxford	The Jericho
Philanthropist and Firkin	St Albans		O'Neills
Philatelist and Firkin	Bromley, London		O'Neills
Philosopher and Firkin	Oxford	The University and City Arms
Phoenix and Firkin	Camberwell, London	The Phoenix
Photographer and Firkin	Ealing, London		O'Neills
Phrenologist and Firkin	Slough		The Assembly
Physician and Firkin	Edinburgh	The Crags	Scream
Physio and Firkin	Leicester	The Phizz!

Note: The full name of the Ferret and Firkin, in Chelsea, was "The Ferret and Firkin in The Balloon Up The Creek". This referenced the original name of the pub - The Balloon - and its location, Chelsea Creek.