The Union Brewery began operations in March 1838, founded by Daniel Cudmore, William Williams, and Thomas Thompson on James Place, just off Rundle Street in Adelaide. It was one of the earliest breweries in the young colony, though modest in scale and faced immediate logistical challenges, notably, the absence of a water source on-site. All water for brewing had to be carted from the River Torrens, an arduous and costly process that limited production. By April 1839, the partnership had dissolved and the brewery was placed for sale. Daniel Cudmore moved on to establish the Hindmarsh Brewery, while William Williams founded another brewery in Walkerville. The small brewery was soon purchased by John Primrose and John Richmond, marking the beginning of a new and much more enduring chapter. Primrose, who had recently emigrated from Scotland in 1839, was the son of a distiller and brought valuable experience in spirit production. The partners installed a distillery on the premises and renamed the operation The Union Brewery and Distillery. After two successful brewing runs, the firm Richmond & Primrose was forced to suspend beer production due to a shortage of malt, a common issue in the colony’s early years, and focused solely on distilling spirits. By late 1840, with a more reliable malt supply secured, brewing resumed. Richmond departed in 1844, distilling ceased, and Primrose continued the enterprise under the name Union Brewery, sometimes trading as Primrose & Co. Under Primrose’s direction, Union beer gained a strong reputation for quality, producing XX, XXX, and porter ales supplied exclusively on draught to Adelaide’s hotels and public houses. During the 1860s, Clark’s Brewery on Halifax Street was purchased and converted into a malthouse to support increasing demand. By the end of the decade, Union Brewery was producing five brews a week, operating around the clock during the summer months. The brewery also became a training ground for some of South Australia’s most notable brewers. James T. Syme, later co-founder of the Adelaide Brewery on Pirie Street, brewed at the Union in the early 1860s, while Guildford E. Gray, a key figure in the state’s brewing history, worked there during the 1870s. When John Primrose died on 28 November 1876, the business passed into the capable hands of William Ross Sawers, who retained the well-known trading name John Primrose & Co. In 1883, Sawers took on Thomas D’Arcy Burke as a business partner, forming the Union Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd. The company remained proud of its heritage, still advertising under the old Primrose name. In 1886, the Union Brewery became one of the first businesses in South Australia to install electric lighting, with a small on-site generator powering twenty lights in the cellars, a remarkable innovation for the time. Burke departed in 1888 to join the Union Barrier Brewery in Silverton, New South Wales. Sawers attempted to float the company on the stock market shortly after, offering 90,000 one-pound shares, but the proposal failed to attract enough investment. The brewery remained a family business under Sawers and his son William Primrose “Jock” Sawers until 1901, when Jock passed away. With advancing age and increasing competition from larger brewing combines, William Sawers decided to amalgamate the Union Brewery with the Walkerville Co-Operative Brewing Company Ltd in 1903. The Walkerville company continued brewing the Union’s beers for a time, supplying the long-standing Primrose hotels, bringing to a close one of Adelaide’s oldest and most respected independent brewing enterprises. Corner, Rundle Street and James Place. The Union Brewery smoke stack on the left B-5852 State Library Brewery Workers c1890 B-58651 State Library