Andrew Buchan and the Rhymney Brewery

In addition to its famed iron works, the town of Rhymney was hugely well-known throughout Wales for its brewery and beer.  Much of that is due to one man - Andrew Buchan who was a hugely influential figure in the development and history of Rhymney.

Buchan was born in Perth in around in 1788. It is said he lived in Dumbarton before making his way to the upper Rhymney valley around 1822 where was employed as a carpenter on local farms, including Maerdy and Abertysswg Farms.

In 1833, Buchan’s as a qualified mechanical engineer were recognised when he was chosen by the local Bute Ironworks Company to straighten and deepen the River Rhymney to expand the new ironworks.

The Bute and Union iron works combined in 1837 to form the Rhymney Iron Company and two years later, its chairman William Copeland founded a brewery to supply beer to its workers with Buchan becoming its manager. With workers developing a thirst working in incredibly hot furnaces, it was considered safer to drink beer than the local water supply as many victims of cholera, such as those at nearby Tredegar, sadly found to their cost. 

In 1858 a local business directory noted “brewing is carried on to a considerable extent by Andrew Buchan & Co at Rhymney, where the Brewery is considered the largest in south Wales”. 

Buchan was also given charge of the company shop at the Lawns having originally being given the manager’s role at the Carno Shop. In 1841, 21 people including his wife, Sybella and son Stewart, were living at the Lawns and ten years later he was recorded in the census as a Grocer Master employing 18 people.

Local workers were given notes to exchange for goods at the company shop, the money being deducted from the workers’ pay. Although this form of “Truck shop” was illegal at that time, for some this was beneficial. Workers at the Iron Company were often recruited from wandering labourers who would enter the shop in a destitute condition. No one knew them, no one could give them credit and they struggled to exist until their pay arrived.

Buchan was well respected as a benefactor and his contributions to the town were substantial, including the original bell at St David’s Church where he was the churchwarden. "Buchan Terrace" was named in his honour, but residents later objected to its association with the brewery, resulting in a name change to "The Terrace." 

Buchan gave annual treats to local schoolchildren and after his death in 1870, his obituary noted: “If he saw a small boy with a shabby cap, he would toss it over a hedge and then take the boy to his Shop and give him a new one - with a bag of biscuits also”. 

Buchan was well respected as a benefactor and his contributions to the town were substantial, including the original bell at St David’s Church where he was the churchwarden. "Buchan Terrace" was named in his honour, but residents later objected to its association with the brewery, resulting in a name change to "The Terrace." 

In 1920, the brewery became a separate company and was registered as Andrew Buchan's Breweries Ltd in 1929. The company took over several other breweries in south Wales including Crosswell’s in Cardiff and Pritchard’s in Crumlin from which it acquired the famous Hobby Horse trademark of the little man on the barrel, which became a familiar sight throughout Wales and especially the Valleys

 “Where the Hobby Horse Roams” became a phrase used to describe the extent of the Buchan brewery estate. In 1959, the name was changed to Rhymney Breweries and the brewery itself was taken over by giants Whitbread in 1966, with brewing sadly ending in the town in 1978 after nearly 140 years. 

In recognition of his impact, the ‘Andrew Buchan clock’ was installed at the entrance of the Rhymney Brewery. After the brewery's closure and demolition in 1978, the clock was relocated close to the Lawns Building, serving as a lasting tribute to his legacy.