Shepherd Neame Ltd. is one of the oldest breweries in Britain. It operates the Faversham Brewery in Kent, which has been brewing continuously over the same artesian well since 1698. The company brews the equivalent of 50 million pints of beer a year and exports three million. Its beer brands include “Bishop's Finger”, “Spitfire” and “Master Brew”. The company controls around 370 pubs in the south east of England, where it also operates hotels.
Samuel Shepherd was a brewer and eminent citizen of Faversham who had served as the town's mayor. He took ownership of the brewery in 1742. In 1864 Percy Beale Neame became a partner and the company became styled Shepherd Neame & Co. The company's property in the 1870s included 115 pubs and 10 railway carriages for delivering beer. In 1877 Neame became the sole proprieter of the firm. He died in 1913 leaving control of the company with his oldest son Henry, and the business was incorporated as Shepherd Neame Limited.
