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Buckley's Welsh Ale

Iechyd da – Your good health! A drop too much of this ale and you'll likely be spouting poetry since it is brewed in the Land of the Bards.

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From the collection of:

Logo for National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales

Overview

An inspiring strapline for imbibers: "Brewed in the Land of the Bards"! Drink enough of it and they could find themselves spouting not nonsense but poetry! The Buckley's brewery in Llanelli was established in 1767 by Mr Henry Child from Pembrokeshire – he was estate agent for Sir Thomas Stepney of Llanelli. His daughter, Maria, married the Rev James Buckley from Oldham, Lancashire, and he developed the brewery, successive generations continuing in his footsteps.

In 1997, Buckley's, which had merged with Crown in 1989 to form Crown Buckley's, was taken over by Cardiff's Brains Brewery (S. A. Brain & Company Ltd) and brewing ceased on the Buckley's site in Llanelli. The 8th generation of brewing Buckley's is still involved with beer but in Llandeilo, under the company name Evan Evans. Interestingly, a fellow Llanelli brewery, Felinfoel, swiftly followed by Buckley's, was the first in Europe to put beer into tin cans (in 1935), not surprising, perhaps, with Llanelli being known as Tinopolis and Felinfoel's owners tinplate masters! NSSAW holds the Buckley family films and many have been included on the BFI Player e.g. β€˜Buckley's Brewery'. See also β€˜Stepney Wedding'.