Edward Fordham Flower

Edward Fordham Flower (1805–1883) was an English brewer and author who campaigned for a Shakespeare memorial theatre and against cruelty to animals.

The enterprise flourished, becoming Flower and Sons Ltd, and when larger premises using latest technology were opened in 1870, the original brewery was used for offices with reduced production.

[4] As a major employer in the area, he was influential in local affairs, serving four times as mayor of Stratford and sitting as a justice of the peace for Warwickshire.

[1] Perhaps his greatest legacy is his involvement in the celebrations, to which he was a major financial contributor, marking the tercentenary of Shakespeare's birth in 1864,[1][5] and the impetus they gave to create a permanent memorial in the town.

In 1873 he retired and moved to London where, being a great lover of horses, he spent the rest of his life campaigning to reduce the suffering caused by inappropriate harness, in particular tight bearing reins (also criticised in the 1877 novel Black Beauty[6][7]) and gag bits.