Historical information

This bottle was found under a building some years ago (Hand’s tobacconist shop, Liebig Street, Warrnambool). It is believed to be a beer bottle from the Warrnambool brewery of Sheldrick and Co. In 1868 Walter Sheldrick formed a company and established the New Brewery at the corner of Timor and Fairy Streets, Warrnambool. Two of the original directors, Walter Sheldrick and Thomas Price, took over the business under the title of Sheldrick and Co. When Walter Sheldrick died in 1876 Richard Sheldrick succeeded his father in the business. In the early 1890s Richard Sheldrick sold out and by 1892 a group of Warrnambool businessmen was operating the brewery. In 1894 it was sold to William McGee and Company and in 1922 the brewery closed when the Ballarat, Melbourne Co-operative and Carlton and United Breweries took over the business.

Significance

This bottle is of interest as an example of a beer bottle from Sheldrick’s New Brewery. This brewery was prominent in Warrnambool for over 50 years.

Physical description

This is a green glass beer bottle with a rounded body and a heavily indented base producing an inverted hump inside the bottom of the bottle. The neck is rounded with a moulded glass top. There is no stopper. There are no markings on the bottle.