T PEASE and Son was the Darlington wine merchant which, in 1875, imported a 1,000 gallon cask of brandy from France to the company’s warehouse beneath the Covered Market.

It was the largest barrel that had ever been imported into this country – a record which it may still stand because a) the cask vexed Customs and Excise officials so much that they let it be known that they would not handle any more super-barrels, and b) it was so gigantically inconvenient. The barrel broke the crane that was lifting it off the ship at Stockton quayside; the railway company refused to handle it until half its contents had been syphoned off for fear it would break the trucks, and when it eventually arrived in Darlington it was too large to get through the doors of the Covered Market so it had to be dismantled.

As Memories 295 told, it was reassembled inside the market cellars where it remained until the Second World War when we believe it was broken up because it was taking up too much room in what was then being used as an air raid shelter.

The wine merchants was formed in 1808 by Thomas Pease, who was related to the Quaker railway family.

From 1897, Peases’ main outlet was on Bakehouse Hill, which it occupied until 1980 when it moved to Gainford. It continued trading, latterly as Pease and Wrightson, until 1995, and the founder’s great-great-grandson, Robin, still lives in Gainford with treasures from the company archive.

The Northern Echo: A LITTLE JOKE: Peases' peas label

A LITTLE JOKE: Peases' peas label

His collection of bottle labels includes one that was designed to appeal to the French market: “Pois et fils”. Pois, of course, is French for “peas”, and this seems to have been the family’s little joke – its coat-of-arms, which can still be seen on buildings and fountains around the town, includes a dove of peace carrying a peapod (containing peas) in its beak.

In 1899, the Peases rebuilt their property on Bakehouse Hill, creating the corner building that stands today – until recently, it was occupied by Foffano’s restaurant. A model of the old building, which used to hang on the Peases’ wall, still survives.

The Northern Echo: PEERS' POURER: A water jug boasting the link with the House of Lords

PEERS' POURER: A water jug boasting the link with the House of Lords

On April 14, 1908, the Superintendent of the Refreshment Department in the House of Lords placed an order for Peases’ most highly regarded product: BOS, which stood for Blended Old Scotch. This endorsement from their lordships was a good publicity opportunity, and it was mentioned in adverts and even on water jugs, one of which remains in Mr Pease’s collection.

PEASES’ 1,000 gallon barrel definitely wasn’t the largest barrel in the world. That honour goes to the Great Heidelberg Tun, which has been in Heidelberg Castle in Germany since 1751. It is seven metres high, eight-and-a-half metres wide and required the wood of 130 oak trees. It is so enormous that it has a dancefloor on its top.

In 1751, it could hold 48,773 gallons of wine but, because of wood shrinkage, its capacity today is a mere 48,173 gallons. However, it is never full, although it is still a big tourist attraction.

While the Great Heidelberg Tun is undoubtedly very large, it has never moved – unlike the Great Peases Tun, which is why the Darlington barrel can claim to be the largest ever imported.