The London Brewery was established by John Balkwill in 1828, near the site now occupied by Labatt's. John K. Labatt, an Irish-born farmer in Westminster Township, south of London, came to know the brewery well as he sold barley to Balkwill. In 1847, Labatt and a brewer named Samuel Eccles bought the building and for the next several years operated it as a partnership. Following Eccles retirement from the firm in 1853, John Labatt carried on himself, as brewer and maltster, until his death in 1866. His son John, who had returned to London following his training as a brewer in the United States, then ran the brewery, taking full ownership in 1872. Under John II, Labatt's continued to be known as the London Brewery. J. K. Labatt, by 1860, was producing about 4000 barrels and 60,000 bottles of ale annually. By 1871, John II was shipping 70,000 bottles of porter and ale and 7,000 barrels of ale, while employing only 14 men. The brewery was rebuilt with a capacity of 30,000 barrels following a disastrous fire in1874. By 1907, the plant was producing 50,000 barrels annually. John III and his brother Hugh took over the brewery following their father's death in 1915, and continued to update technology and expand its capacity. John H. "Jake" Moore joined the firm in 1953, under John III, and rose to become, in 1958, one of the first presidents to head the firm from outside the family. During his nearly 10 years as president he built a national company through the acquisition of established breweries and the construction of new ones. The London plant, during his term, reached a capacity of 1.3 million barrels. The continuous operation of the brewery, at this location, for what is now over 170 years, makes it one of the oldest industrial sites in Canada. An Historic Sites and Monuments plaque honouring J. K. Labatt is mounted outside the brewery offices on Simcoe Street.