Fremlin's Brewery

It was established by Ralph Fremlin in 1861, who eschewed the pub trade and focused on bottled beer, on religious grounds.

[1] It was bought by Ralph Fremlin in 1861, who rebuilt the premises, and expanded the production plant along the street, taking over a pub further down which was demolished.

[2][3] The beer was a success, and Fremlin's expanded to produce lager and "National Temperance Ale", along with establishing a London branch on Buckingham Palace Road by 1894.

[1] In 1978, much of the brewery's infrastructure connecting it to the River Medway was demolished in order to construct St Peter's Bridge and the A229 diversion around Maidstone town centre.

[8] Carol Rose, in her book Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia, attributes the origin of the Gremlin of English folklore (malicious creatures said to be responsible for sabotaging aircraft) to a combination of the name of Grimm's Fairy Tales and the folklore surrounding Fremlin's beer; a favourite beverage of local Royal Air Force mechanics and pilots.

Beginning as early as 1865, Fremlin's Brewery company tradition included the fabled existence of an unseen, ambivalent house spirit named Robin Hodfellow or Hödfellow; the name being a probable conflation of the woodland sprite Robin Goodfellow and the popular legend of the kobold Hödekin as recorded by folklorist Thomas Keightley.

Brewery workers and even publicans were said to leave small jars or dishes of beer out to appease Hodfellow, a tradition that survived at least into the late 20th century in some Maidstone and Canterbury pubs.