Bedford

Charles Wells was born in Bedford in 1842. At the age of 14 he left school and boarded the 'Devonshire' frigate, bound for India. Right about the time he was promoted to Chief Officer in the late 1860's, he fell in love and proposed to Josephine Grimbley. However, his prospective father-in-law put paid to his plans when he announced that no daughter of his would marry a man who would be away at sea for months at a time. And so, Charles, desperate to marry his sweetheart, left his sea-faring career and in 1876 established the Charles Wells family brewery to provide beer to the local Bedfordians. It was in the previous year that a site came to auction on the banks of the River Ouse as it ran through Bedford. The site contained a coal depot and a brew house. Included in the price were 35 pubs, most of which were in Bedford and the surrounding area. Charles Wells brewery was one of the largest independent family-owned breweries in the UK when, in 2006, the company teamed up with Young's of Wandsworth. Despite their considerable output, Charles Wells still decent ale - I still get a headache thinking about the times I have consumed Bombardier all day at the Cambridge Festival. Top Tip: When in hot sunshine, treat this beer with caution. The brewery has its own well which accounts for the distinct flavours of their ales. Charles Wells has around 300 tied houses and also supplies over 600 outlets direct. The brewery introduced a bottling plant in 1996 and now exports its beers to over 23 countries. This earned the company a Queen's Award for Export in 1997.
© Copyright. All images from Charles Wells Ltd and reproduced with kind permission.