Breweries and Beers of Staffordshire - History and Information on the Brewers, Breweries, Beers, Labels and Pump Clips

Breweries of Staffordshire - History and Information on the Brewers, Breweries, Beers, Labels, Pump Clips and Tasting Notes

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Staffordshire

History and Information on the Breweries for Local Historians, Family Research and Genealogy

Samuel Allsopp and Sons Ltd.
Based in the High Street of Burton-on-Trent, the history of this company can be traced back to the 1740's. Samuel Allsopp acquired the brewery in 1807. A new brewery and offices were constructed in 1859-60 close to the railway station. Throughout the 19th century Allsopp's brewing business was second only to Bass in size. The new brewery site alone stretched between Station Street and Horninglow Street. They retained the original brewery in High Street, built a large maltings at Shobnall and numerous premises elsewhere. Samuel Allsopp was the first to export Burton Pale Ale to India in 1822. By 1890 their output had reached 460,000 barrels and they had a workforce of 1,750. However, the 20th century was not so favourable for the company and they went into receivership in 1913. Allsopp's was eventually merged with the neighbouring Ind Coope & Co.Ltd. to form Ind Coope & Allsopp Ltd. The offices of the new brewery were later used as the headquarters of Punch Taverns and the Spirit Group.
� Copyright Beer label images from Digital Photographic Images Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Allsopp's Brewery

Allsopp's Cooperage

Middle Yard

Ind Coope & Allsopp Dray

Former Offices

1920's Beer Label

1930's Beer Label

Daniel-Batham and Son Ltd
The first beers produced by the Batham's family were by Charlotte Billingham who had married Daniel Batham. They had set up home together in Corngreaves Road, Cradley Heath, close to The Plough and Harrow public house. Daniel worked in a local mine whilst Charlotte kept a house with three lodgers. It was there that she cultivated her talent for brewing ale. In the 1870's the couple moved to Cradley High Street and soon began working at the White Horse Inn. This pub has long since vanished but stood almost opposite the Rose and Crown. Daniel Batham took over the licence from John Attwood in 1882. And so the legend that has become Batham's brewery was officially born - Charlotte brewed the ales and Daniel kept the pub, though it is thought he started to become a brewer himself. Sons Daniel and Caleb entered the business which had begun to flourish. In 1904 Daniel took over the King William in Cole Street, Netherton, where production of Batham's beer continued for another 17 years before it was sold to Julia Hanson's brewery at Dudley. In 1905 Daniel Batham bought The Vine on The Delph which was previously owned by Caroline Fox, a close friend of the family [she was an Attwood, the family who had kept the White Horse Inn]. Because Daniel was busy brewing at the King William, he decided to lease The Vine but interest was minimal - competition was fierce on The Delph which already had the large Elwell's Brewery. Production of Batham's beer was slowly transferred to The Vine from the King William which was sold in 1921. Another pub was added to the estate in 1923 when they acquired The Royal Oak in Lye. In 1926 the brewery bought The Bird in Hand at Oldswinford and The Brickmaker's Arms in Lye and also leased the Spread Eagle Inn at Brierley Hill. Another pub was bought in 1931 - The Fountain Inn at Quarry Bank and a year later the company took the lease of The Railway Tavern in Cradley Heath, a pub that was not too far from where Charlotte Batham first began brewing ales. A family dispute in the 1930's between Daniel and Caleb Batham led to the sale of many of their pubs to larger breweries. However, they were back into taking on pubs again in the following decade when famous names like the Royal Exchange and The Lamp Tavern were added to the estate. It was in 1951 that the really significant move was made. The Swan Inn at Chaddesley Corbett, which was acquired by the Trustees of King Henry VIII in 1927, was leased it to Batham's on 27th July 1951. At that time the brewery only brewed traditional Black Country Mild. The locals of Chaddesley Corbett however were used to a paler drink and would have been up in arms were it not for the company introducing their first bitter to satisfy the palates of the North Worcestershire folk. The company almost amalgamated with Holden's during the 1950's but thankfully remained independent. The joint venture would have meant the closure of the brewery at The Vine and all production would have been moved to Woodsetton. Now with Matthew and Tim Batham at the helm, the brewery is now in its fifth generation of family ownership. In 1991 Batham's Bitter was voted Champion Beer of Britain by CAMRA. Batham's has ten tied houses in the Midlands plus a pub in Wales. The company sells to an increasing number of free houses in the region although brewing is near to capacity.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

Founder Daniel Batham

Daniel Batham

Charlotte Batham

1940's Poster

Inside The Brewery

Fermenting Vessels

Liquid Nectar

Racking Area/Dispatch

Drayman Geoff Hingley

Bitter 4.5%

A pale yellow sweet, hoppy monster of a beer. Absolutely orgasmic. Perhaps the most consistent bitter in the Midlands - you have to have a really dodgy cellar person to spoil this amber nectar. Having said that, some pubs serve better Batham's than others.

Mild 3.5%

XXX 6.5%

Pub Badge

1950's Beer Label

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1950's Beer Label

Bent's-Brewery Co. Ltd.
Founded by William Bent during the 1790's in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Bent's Brewery tends to be more associated with Stone because the company acquired the large brewery of Montgomery and Co. in 1889. This was when the company's name was established and registered as Bent's Brewery Co. Ltd. to acquire R. Bent and Co. and the Montgomery Brewery. The head office and main brewery was based in Liverpool's New Brewery at Johnson Street. The acquisition of the Montgomery Brewery included an estate of 23 tied houses. The brewery at Stone was altered and enlarged throughout the early 20th century. Production at the site ran around the clock during the Second World War to counteract the bombing of the Liverpool brewery. By the time Bent's was absorbed by Bass Charrington in 1967 the company operated 514 public houses.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

1920's Dray

1934-6 Cricket Team

1934 Brewery Staff

Early Bar Ad Stand

1940's Beer Label

1953 Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

Bindley & Co. Ltd
Founded in 1873, this brewery was based in New Street, Burton-on-Trent. I first came across the name when writing up the history of the Bush Inn at Lower Gornal. The old Georgian pub was sold by its owner, the Earl of Dudley, to Bindley & Company Ltd in November 1898. The sale was part of a bundle of nine local pubs that included two Court Houses at Sedgley and Kingswinford. The deal cost the expanding Bindley & Company Ltd �18,000.0s.0d. The company was registered in 1888 but by the time it had an estate of 63 public houses it was acquired by rival Burton brewers Ind Coope in 1914. Bindley's brewery was closed shortly after the acquisition. This image below shows the brewhouse, viewed from the cooperage yard.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Bindley's Brewery

Booth's [Red Lion] Brewery
Booth's Brewery was located behind the Red Lion Inn at Gornal Wood. The pub had a brewery long before Thomas Booth bought the premises. These included the legendary Thomas Malpass who held the licence for 38 years and whose antics led to a nickname of Pokeymon and the street became known as Pokey Row. He sold the Red Lion Inn to brewer William Thomas Clewes of the Home Brewery based in Quarry Bank who paid �2,500.0s.0d. William Jones was appointed as licensee. He succeeded in the difficult task of following Pokeymon and became another Gornal legend. They called him Billy on the Ob. Black Country brewer Tommy Booth bought the Red Lion Inn on August 4th 1935 for �3,650.0s.0d. He later rebuilt and extended the ancient brewery which he needed to supply his seven local houses and expanding free trade. His wholesale prices were probably the lowest in the Black Country and he had a reputation for 'the long pull' where the licensee gave a quart measure for the price of a pint. The brewery was rebuilt in the 1920's, when most of the adjacent terraced houses called Pokey Row were demolished. The Red Lion and Brewery was acquired by Julia Hanson's brewery at Dudley in 1953.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

The Red Lion

1930's Beer Label

William-Butler and Co. Ltd.
I took some photographs of this site in the summer of 2004 when the old Springfield Brewery of William Butler and Co. Ltd still stood but only as a sort of ghost town. Plans for a redevelopment of the extensive site were being mooted. It was hoped that some of the historic buildings would be retained and incorporated into the designs. Soon after the whole place went up in smoke - probably the result of yet another arson attack. The company was founded in 1840 and registered in April 1891. Much confusion still exists about the name of the brewery because the company was acquired by Mitchell's and Butler's in 1960. The former managing director of this company was a completely different William Butler. I can remember drinking in some M&B pubs in the Black Country during the late 1970's and if they sold beers produced at the Springfield Brewery it was always preferable to those brewed at Cape Hill. The Springfield Brewery was eventually closed around 1990.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

Springfield 2004

Main Gates 2004

Springfield 2004

Railway Wall 2004

Tower 2004

c.1925 Beer Label

1929 Beer Label

1932 Beer Label

1935 Beer Label

1938 Beer Label

1949 Beer Label

1953 Beer Label

1956 Beer Label

Early Beer Label

Unissued Label

Darby's Brewery Ltd
The Dunkirk Brewery operated by Darby's was based in Whitehall Road in Greets Green, to the west of Guns Village. Founded in 1894, the company enjoyed moderate growth by acquiring small scale breweries in the Black Country. Their tied estate numbered more than 100 public houses when they were taken over by Mitchell's and Butler's in 1951.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

James Eadie Ltd
Established in Burton-on-Trent in the middle of the 19th century, this company operated an extensive estate of public houses throughout South Staffordshire. Born in Perthshire in 1827, the young James Eadie travelled south in 1842 to work for his uncle John Eadie, a tea dealer trading in Fazeley. Once settled, James Eadie started a business supplying malt to homebrew houses and common brewers in and around Fazeley. This enterprise proved very successful and the firm's sales area extended to Burton-on-Trent. Making frequent visits to the brewing capital of the Midlands, James Eadie decided to implement a forward extension strategy for his business and established a brewery in Cross Street in 1852. Despite fierce competition, the brewery flourished and the company's growth was rapid. However, the company foundered shortly after it was registered in 1893 and went into liquidation in the summer of 1896. The brewery survived following restructuring. James Eadie was a benefactor of Fazeley and Burton and was responsible for the construction of chapels in both towns. When he died in June 1904 his personal estate totalled �337,966 [that's over �24m in today's money]. The company and its tied estate of 308 public houses was acquired by Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton Ltd. in 1933.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

1920's Beer Label

1920's Cask Label

1920's Rum Label

George-Elwell [Delph Brewery]
This brewery was established in 1876 next to the Duke William Inn on The Delph. A rebuilt pub stands on the site - today it is called the Dock and Iron. The company was registered in December 1895. During the following year the Delph Brewery amalgamated with Bucknall's Brewery of Kidderminster to form the Worcestershire Brewing and Malting Co. Ltd. Towards the end of the Edwardian period, the old brewery buildings at the Delph collapsed through subsidence of the Dock-o-Nine pit owned by the Earl of Dudley. Brewer George Elwell was running the Stewponey and Foley Arms at Stourton by the end of the 19th century, Born in 1839, he spent his early years working as an iron moulder but somehow made good in his middle age years. He retired to Greyfields Court in Kinver in the early 20th century and died in April 1908.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Digital Photographic Images.

Delph Brewery c.1900

Elwell-Williams
This firm operated at the old Delph Brewery of George Elwell after the collapse of the Kidderminster Brewery Co.Ltd.

Enville-Brewery
Beer production in Enville ceased in 1919 but was restored, albeit slightly out of the village, in 1993 when the Enville Brewery was founded at an old farm in Coxgreen. The brewery was established by former glass designer, Will Constantine-Cort, who had been made redundant from his job as head of design at Royal Brierley Crystal. Basing his first beer on a recipe he had used for a home-brewing hobby, he first produced his Enville Ale at the Chainmaker brewery in Stourbridge's Mill Race Lane. The first barrel was sold at his local pub, the Robin Hood Inn at Amblecote. Using the same water as the original brewery at Enville, the beers are made using several tons of honey a year, all of which is produced on the site's farm. The brewery also grows its own barley and its beers are now sold in many outlets around the Midlands region. Apparently, Will Constantine-Cort originally intended to keep bees on a full-time basis but somewhere along the line diversification into beer production led to a change of direction within the company.
� Copyright. Images supplied by Enville Ales and reproduced with kind permission.

Enville Ale 4.5%

This is a traditional beekeepers ale. It is pale yellow fruity bitter with an initial sweetness progressing to a complex dry hoppy taste based on an old nineteenth century recipe. Enville Ale is produced using 100% Maris Otter floor malted barley and top fermenting ale yeast. It is processed through an initial very rapid fermentation followed by a priming process using selected honeys which are specially processed and then allowed to secondary ferment before being lagered for a precise period of time. This process enables the brewery to produce conditioned beer with a controlled yeast count in cask - the result is a traditional cask conditioned beer in which the carbonation has been carefully controlled.

Enville White 4.2%

Gothic Ale 5.2%

Chainmaker Mild 3.8%

Phoenix IPA 4.8%

Dragon's Den 4.5%

Medium coloured, perfectly balanced mid-strength ale offering a truly memorable English bitter taste and body. Perfect for slaying a monstrous thirst or simply celebrating St George's Day in patriotic style. Dragon's Den is the perfect alternative for those who prefer a drier taste.

Old Porter 4.5%

Light Pale Ale 4.0%

Nailmaker Mild 4.0%

Ginger Beer 4.6%

Czechmate Saaz 4.2%

Brewed using the single variety Saaz hop this is a light and fruity beer with a dryness which confirms it as a classic Czechoslovakian style beer.

Maiden's Ruin 6.0%

Simply Simpkiss 4.0%

Gargoyle 4.5%

Slayed 4.5%

The Fazeley-Brewery
Established by George Thorneloe in 1845, The Fazeley Brewery was set up a short distance from the George Inn on Coleshill Street. Indeed, the George Inn was kept by George's son Francis who followed in his father's footsteps and continued the brewery business along with his brother Thomas. The Fazeley Brewery was acquired by Arthur Evans in 1872. Born in the Herefordshire town of Kington, he was the son of a wealthy farmer. He possibly sourced his hops from the family's farm. Enjoying success, he moved from the premises to a house in Drayton Bassett where he and his wife Edith employed a governess, nurse, gardener and domestic servant. The Fazeley Brewery ceased production in 1907 and when the site was placed on the market it was described as having a "large stores, a yard with gateway entrance, stabling, lofts and premises, together with engine, pump, boiler and certain fixed plant in addition to substantial maltings for 24 quarters with three floors and kiln."

Holden's-Brewery
Son of a boot and shoe maker, Edwin Alfred Holden was born in Rowley Regis in March 1875. He followed the family business moving to Netherton and taking lodgings in Northfield Road. In Netherton he met and married a publican's daughter, Lucy Blanch Elizabeth Round at St.Andrew's church on October 25th 1898. Lucy's father, who had a long-established reputation in the licensed trade, persuaded them to take the tenancy of a public house. It was the beginning of the link with the Holden name and beer. Two months after their wedding, Edwin and Lucy Holden moved into the old Britannia Inn, a short distance from their rooms in Northfield Road. They stayed there for six years, moving to the Struggling Man Inn at Shavers End. Three years later and the Holden's were on the move again to take the Atkinson's-operated Horse and Jockey in Dibdale Lane, Lower Gornal, some half a mile away. Son Teddy was born at the pub on November 13th 1907. Their fourth house, again run by Atkinson's, was the Bloomfield Inn at Bloomfield Road in Tipton which they took over in October 1909. However, they only remained there for a short period. Within a year, the family had taken over a free house - The Summer House at Woodsetton, where they remained until 1920. In 1916 Edwin Holden, now in failing health, bought the Park Inn in George Street, Woodsetton, taking the license in 1920, shortly before his death. It was, like the Summer House, a home-brew pub with a small brewery at the rear and in the cellar. This proved to be an exciting new turning point for the family and after developing a popular ale for the locals the brewing equipment was enlarged from within the cellar to adjoining buildings, which had been previously been used as a malt store by Atkinson's Brewery. Lucy proved to have a strong business head on her shoulders. Over the next three years and through great personal endeavour she was able to purchase a second pub, the Painter's Arms in Coseley, which was owned by Butler's Brewery. This acquisition was principally for her son who had returned from Birmingham University after earning his brewing colours. From the traditional dark strong mild brewed twice a week on the premises, the brewery developed during the 1950's and 1960's to its present size, with a capacity of 250 barrels a week. There is a large bottling plant at the brewery, the last remaining such plant in the Black Country. Holden's brews and bottles beers for PDH [formerly Davenport's] in addition to its own range.
� Copyright Brewery images from Digital Photographic Images Other images supplied by Holden's Brewery and reproduced with kind permission.

Lucy Blanche Holden

Malt Mill

Mash Tun

Copper

Brewer

Fermenting Tanks

Gravity Test

Racking Tanks

Bottling Plant

Dray

Black Country Mild 3.7%

A splendid smooth blend of malt hops and roast flavours go into Black Country Mild, a beer whose full-bodied taste belies it's gravity. An excellent mild.

Black Country Bitter 3.7%

Golden Glow 4.4%

Special Bitter 5.1%

XB 4.1%

December 2008
Crazy Legs 4.6%

This beer was named after Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch who played his first college season with the Wisconsin Badgers in 1942 when he earned his nickname from his unusual running style. He joined the Los Angeles Rams and was instrumental in their victory in the 1951 championship which was to stand for 19 years. He was inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Crazy Legs was a powerful ale with a ruby hue. Incredibly flavoursome and surprisingly refreshing with a hint of sweetness. Touchdown!

November 2008
Fatty Foulkes 4.1%

October 2008
Whispering Death 4.3%

September 2008
The Pirate 4.0%

August 2008
Lord Oxford 4.5%

July 2008
Cannibal 4.2%

A beer named in honour of the cycling legend Eddie "The Cannibal" Merckx. Regarded as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time, Merckx started competing in 1961 and started his first grand tour at the 1967 Giro de Italia. In his Tour de France debut in 1969 he achieved a triple award and became the first Belgian to win the Tour for 30 years and became a national hero. Cannibal was a refreshing straw coloured bitter, subtly hoppy, with a pleasant, sweet finish. No-one was competing in the Tour de France after a couple of these!

June 2008
Galloping Major 4.6%

May 2008
Bomber Brown 4.1%

April 2008
Night Train 4.3%

March 2008
Black Jack 4.0%

February 2008
Raging Bull 4.5%

Raging Bull was a beer dedicated to the boxer Jake LaMotta. Portrayed by Robert De Niro in the film "Raging Bull", world middleweight champion LaMotta led a colourful life inside and outside the ring. He shocked the sports world by admitting dropping a fight for the Mafia in return for a title shot against World Champion Marcel Cerdan. In 1951 Sugar Ray Robinson beat him in a fight known as boxing's version of "The St.Valentine's Day Massacre." A well-rounded beer golden chestnut-coloured beer with fruit aroma and hoppy overtones, Raging Bull had a fantastic bittersweet fusion on the palette. It was a knockout.

January 2008
Three Fingers 4.2%

December 2007
Dec The Halls 4.6%

November 2007
Super Nova 4.1%

October 2007
Octavia 4.3%

September 2007
Septimus Sid 4.0%

Produced in September 2007, this was polished brass in colour. A strapping malty brew, Septimus Sid was fresh, fruity and sweet on the nose and vacillated between a malty sweetness and a dry hoppy palate. In a league of it's own!

August 2007
Haughty Den 4.5%

July 2007
Julie Dunn 4.2%

June 2007
Jungle Jim 4.6%

May 2007
May Becknott 4.1%

April 2007
April Shower 4.3%

Sparkling primrose in colour with a delicate hoppy aroma, this medium bodied beer had an underlying gentle malty sweetness and muted cereal notes, which developed into a restorative bitter finish. According to the brewery it was a totally revitalizing experience!

March 2007
Mardy Maud 4.0%

February 2007
Freddie Febrio 4.5%

January 2007
Flo Jangles 4.2%

December 2006
Christmas Blaster 4.8%

Available in December 2006, Challenger hops and Optic malt were suffused to create winter sunshine in a glass. With a lively and assertive hop character and a dominant malty sweetness throughout this premium beer resulted in a moreish malty aftertaste. Christmas Blaster certainly blew away the cobwebs! In days of yore, "time off" was a rare luxury. The Sabbath was strictly adhered to - but this was a time for sober religious reflection not joviality - and holidays were few and far between. Christmas holidays consisted of Christmas day and [for some] Boxing Day. However, nothing stood in the way of efficiency - and a blast furnace needed to be cared for and kept up to temperature no matter what day of the year, for if it cooled it would need to be dismantled and re-fired - a long and costly process. As a result a skeleton workforce was always in attendance and if they were unfortunate enough to have to work on the 25th December the poor souls were jokingly referred to as Christmas Blasters.

November 2006
Fogger 4.5%

Available in November 2006, this beer was sparkling gold in colour with a fruity aroma and a deliciously subtle malty taste. First Gold hops and optic malt combined to result in a long and lingering bittersweet finish. Nail making was, quite literally a cottage industry. In thousands of tiny workshops families eked out a meagre living accepting a weight of iron, "converting" it into nails and supplying a corresponding weight of nails and scrap to their middlemen, only to repeat the process time and time again. The Fogger was a particularly despicable type of middlemen who preyed on the poverty of the nailers during times of extreme hardship. He supplied them with iron on credit, often keeping incorrect scales to con the nailers. When he returned to collected the finished nails he would use another set of fixed scales to under weigh the finished product, thereby "buying" them at lower than cost price. The Fogger was often blamed for keeping the price of nails artificially low thereby keeping nailers in a parlous state of grinding poverty.

October 2006
Table Tapper 4.7%

Available in October 2006, Herald hops and optic malt were fused to give this straw champagne coloured beer a distinctive hoppy nose and a rich a full-bodied quaffable taste that resulted in a spellbinding dry bitter taste. Out of this world! As for the story behind the name..... times were hard, education poor and superstition rife in the Black Country of the 19th century. Not surprisingly, it was the perfect environment for unscrupulous women to earn a few farthings by exploiting the fears of their desperate neighbours. Building their reputation as soothsayers, they would purport to converse with those who had "passed over" to proffer advice and admonishment to their awestruck clientele. Shrouding their activity in mystery and developing their own rituals these women would often get their victims to join hands and close their eyes before beginning their dialogue with the spirit world, often doing so with questions and responses tapped out on the kitchen table - hence their disparaging and commonly used description as Table Tappers.

September 2006
Wharfinger 4.3%

Travel back to the start of the 19th century and roads were poor, still having to cope with nothing more than the occasional stagecoach, railways were yet to be invented. Canals were the super highways of their day. Still a novelty, they carried what were considered huge loads the length and breadth of the country and literally provided the momentum for the industrial revolution. Even rivers were major navigation routes, with Trows carrying raw materials, iron products, tiles and china the length of the River Severn. With so much valuable cargo moving to and fro it was essential that the wharfs were managed efficiently and with a rod of iron to ensure that pilfering was prevented. The manager, or Wharfinger, was therefore usually both an imposing and authoritative figure. Available in September 2006, this beer was orange gold in colour. The combination of Challenger hops and Maris Otter malt resulted in a big taste which was equally divided between the assertive dry hop character and the robust malty taste, leaving a full bitter finish.

August 2006
Amigo Puller 4.6%

July 2006
Burton Runner 4.2%

Cradley Heath was famous for chain making. It was a harsh living, both men and women worked at hundreds of forges which peppered the area for pay that, even by the standards of the time, was pitifully low. Beer played a great part in the lives of both male and female chain workers as a relatively inexpensive means of cooling down and topping up fluid levels. Reports at the time suggested that drinking 24 pints a day was not unusual. Indeed, beer was so important to the workers that each factory had a boy whose only job was to run out and fetch pints for the men. The fact that workers were so poor means that it is not surprising that the beer that was served was the cheapest available: known as Burton Returns it was largely beer that had been returned to the brewery as undrinkable by more fastidious customers... and as a result the boys were known as Burton Runners. Available in July 2006, Herald hops and Maris Otter malt combined to give this bronze gold brew a light malty scent with a distinctive hop character leading to a clean and refreshing finish. It was well worth going the extra mile for!

June 2006
Shaft Spragger 4.5%

Available during June 2006, Bramling Cross hops and Optic and crystal malt gave this long velvety polished conker coloured beer a wonderfully balanced taste which swung between gentle hop notes and robust malty overtones resulting in a long lingering dry finish. The larger mines of the Black Country were invariably owned by titled land owners who knew little [and cared even less] of the sorry plight of the miners who toiled in appalling conditions to earn a meagre living. Profit was king and investment was made in essential machinery only if it would increase productivity in a way that additional labour would not - after all, labour was both cheap and in exhaustible supply. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that while wagons were an essential means of transporting coal to the surface, brakes were viewed an unnecessary luxury when you could employ an unfortunate individual to risk life and limb to control the movement of mine carts by poking sprags between the spokes of the wheels to act as a basic brake. The Shaft Spragger was one of the most dangerous jobs in a very perilous industry.

May 2006
Bottom Knocker 4.7%

Wye Northdown hops and Optic Malt gave this May 2006 beer a clean and feisty golden caramel flavour with a distinctive fruity bouquet. Bottom Knocker is substantially malty in its body resulting in a delicious hoppy tang. Destined not to be the butt of any joke! Imagine yourself at one of the region's pottery factories in years gone by. The craftsmen have plied their trade, carefully hand turning pots on a potter's wheel, and now the wet clay needs to be placed into a traditional bottle kiln and fired for days at an incredibly high temperature. Loading the kiln was itself a skilled task placing as many items as possible into the kiln and avoiding breakages. To help them with this unenviable task items were placed into containers called saggers both to aid carriage and make stacking easier. Not surprisingly, the base of a sagger was pummelled from clay, the only inexpensive material capable of tolerating such high temperatures - and it was the responsibility of the sagger maker's assistant to complete this menial task, perpetually pounding the clay, And his official job title? A sagger maker's bottom knocker!

April 2006
Wind Blower 4.3%

March 2006
Feeder Wench 4.6%

February 2006
Shag Boss 4.2%

January 2006
Gongoozler 4.5%

Ever since their first appearance, locks on canals have been a source of fascination, not only as an engineering marvel providing a simple yet effective means of lifting heavy barges almost vertically, but also as a hive of activity as handles are turned, paddles lifted and gates are man hauled. Not surprisingly, therefore, locks have also proved a magnet to those who like to watch others working and it is to the most infuriating of these examples that canal folk have given the name Gongoozler. Often the lock keeper's dim-witted assistant, the Gongoozler is much more of a hindrance than a help, drifting around the lock gawping at everyone else working and invariably getting under everyone's feet and hampering their progress. This January ale was a morning sunlight in colour, with a delicate hoppy aroma and a full and malty flavour, which led to a long dry and tangy finish. It was brewed using Progress hops and Maris Otter malt. Gongoozler was a contrasting and contradictory beer. A bruly taffling brew!

December 2005
Lambswool 4.5%

November 2005
Horn Dance 4.2%

October 2005
Dragons Blood 4.7%

September 2005
Summat Else 4.6%

Well dressing was a widespread Black Country custom whereby wells were adorned with flowers. There was always fierce competition to become the local well-dressing champion. In the early 1800's such a competition was won, surprisingly, by an old woman who lived alone in an isolated cottage. Her success was attributed to a hob (a small friendly goblin). Like many households, she used to put a bowl of milk porridge and a bit of cake on the doorstep before going to bed. This was provided for 'the luck' i.e. the hob. On one occasion she found the food had been eaten and shortly after heard a strange voice asking for shelter. The woman, a kindly individual, knew it must be either a ghost or Summat else - a name which she quickly gave to the small hob who accepted her offer of shelter and took up residence in the chimney. The two struck up a supernatural friendship and the hob - as a measure of gratitude - helped the old woman to collect enough petals to win the annual well dressing competition. Summat Else was the special brew for the month of September 2005. It was a straw coloured bitter brewed using English Maris Otter malt and Cascade Hops, producing an ale with a floral hop aroma and a constant bitterness present throughout that led to a satisfying dry hoppy aftertaste. It was an unusual and distinctive brew - hence summat else!

August 2005
Frail Rib 4.3%

Available in August 2005, this was an exceptionally pale flax coloured crisp, clean beer brewed using lager malt and Styrian Goldings Hops. It was a thirst quenchingly refreshing beer with a delicate hoppy aroma and subtle malty overtones that led to a crisp bitter finish. Frail Rib is a Black Country term for an unwanted or ineffective wife. Well into the 1800's wife selling was an accepted means of ending a marriage. The practice had no sanction in law, but it was a matter of general knowledge that if the prescribed custom was followed the separation was legal. The general procedure was for the husband to tie a halter around the woman's neck, take her down to the market gate, where he would purchase a toll ticket, lead her several times round the market and eventually put her up for auction. Once the sale had been made it was usual for the husband, wife and purchaser to retire to a nearby pub to complete the deal - the husband handing over the toll ticket to the new owner. The seller would purchase a brand new halter, while the purchaser would try to lead his wife through as many as three toll gates to make the agreement more binding!

July 2005
Midsummer Witch 4.5%

June 2005
Old Nick 4.2%

May 2005
Will 'O' Wisp 4.7%

April 2005
Springheel Jack 4.6%

March 2005
Thigh Bones 4.3%

This was the beer to be found at the pumps in March 2005. In an attempt to ward off evil spirits in the 1700's superstitious people from the Black Country would look to obtain the thigh bones from a body in the churchyard and place them across the foot of the bed each night. It is questionable whether this had the desired effect, but it certainly pleased the family hound. Thigh Bones was a pale straw coloured beer with a strong malty nose and an underlying sweetness that lead to a clean dry bitter finish. It was brewed using Fuggles Hops and Optic Malt.

February 2005
Passionate Monk 4.5%

January 2005
Devil Dunn 4.2%

November 2004
Dudley Tremor 4.8%

October 2004
Sandwell Slider 4.6%

September 2004
Quarry Basher 4.9%

The Tipton Slasher's fame may have lived on to this day, but let's not forget Grorty Dick Dunn. In the darkest days of the recession in the 1920's families could barely afford to put food on tables and certainly couldn't afford to waste it. Dick Dunn provided a public service by collecting left over Grorty Dick (a Black Country delicacy of mashed oats) in large muslin bags and pummelling it to break down once again into a soft mash, so that it could be reheated and eaten later. Thus, he unwittingly invented the punch bag and inadvertently provided himself with enough exercise to develop a physique which amazed the Western World. Incredibly, Grorty Dick also constituted most of his diet so it can fake full credit for developing him into the world-class athlete who finally took the World Heavy Weight title in 1926. Sold in September 2004, Quarry Basher was a full-bodied toffee coloured premium beer brewed using Fuggles hops and the English Maris Otter malt. Hoppy and slightly sweet, it had a robust fruitiness and a final heavyweight hop bite. Packed a punch!

August 2004
Netherton Flickers 4.3%

The back to back houses of Netherton may not have been the obvious breeding ground for one of tennis' greatest doubles partnerships but it was there that petty rivalry over the washing lines escalated and taught the basic skills of the sport to Hilda Potts and Ivy Hawkes. Washing used to be hung on communal lines and this led to bitter rivalry as to who had the cleanest laundry. Hilda believed that Ivy was sabotaging her washing and would use laundry tongs to flick dirt over the line on to her neighbour's smalls. This malicious act was reciprocated with ever increasing accuracy and ferocity. Their skill was put to good use when, in the 1937 Wimbledon Championships, the two women having been reconciled and introduced to the grass court game, used their wrist action to achieve one overhead winner after another and revolutionise the Ladies Doubles Game. Sold throughout August 2004, Netherton Flickers was a very fruity pale golden beer brewed using aromatic Goldings hops and English Maris Otter malt - a perfect partnership of a hoppy aroma and malty flavour prevailed to give a strong clean lingering bitter finish.

Summer 2004
Lye Crossers 4.3%

I haven't got any tasting notes for this beer I'm afraid. A shame because some sporting punters may have forgotten that in the late 1880's Lye boasted a team that was almost the equal of their two illustrious neighbours, The Baggies and The Wolves. Lye's success was, however, short-lived as it was almost entirely due to the dazzling footballing skills of two unlikely twin brothers who played on the left and right wing respectively. Charlie, Number 7, weighed 15 stone, had a shiny bald pate and had a bustling style which featured a fearsome shoulder charge. When deployed, this tactic often knocked opposing full backs so far off the pitch they had to pay to come back through the turnstiles. Twin brother Sidney weighed just 7� stone and boasted an enormous handlebar moustache. Reliant on speed and fast footwork the opposition rarely got close enough to tackle him. Many pundits argue that it was their totally different styles which enhanced the twin brother's effectiveness. But the truth was that, for eight  magnificent seasons, they helped the Lye team to unparalleled success, feeding a grateful forward line with chance after chance. Inevitably, the brothers became known as the Lye Crossers but unfortunately when they retired, inevitably as twins, on the same day, the team lost its greatest assets and went into decline from which it never recovered.

May 2004
Bilston Breezer 4.8%

February 2003
True Love 4.7%

1950's Beer Label

c.1960 Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

1960's Beer Label

c.1960's Beer Label

c.1970's Beer Label

1999 Pump Clip

Home-Brewery
The Home Brewery was based in Quarry Bank's Evers Street. It's no good wandering down to see the old buildings - the spiritual home of Simpkiss beers has been lost forever. The Simpkiss story didn't start here and, indeed, didn't end here. But for a number of years [1903-1916] this was where the nectar was brewed. The first photograph below was once the only known image of the Home Brewery. It was unearthed by Doris (Dolly) Proctor whose father worked his way up the ranks to become head brewer. Originally called the Swan Brewery, the main outlet for the beers in the early days was an off-licence in Evers Street. This was operated by the Cartwright family; John Cartwright had purchased the site from William King in 1851. The street was named after Samuel Evers who operated Cradley Forge during the 1830's and 1840's. The thoroughfare leads down to the forge on the River Stour. The Evers family later owned Homer Hill colliery in Cradley and established a brickworks in Netherend. Following John Cartwright's death in the 1880's, the Evers Street brewery and shop was bequeathed to widow Phoebe Cartwright; she subsequently leased it to John Mason who, in the agreement, was described as a brewer's clerk. The agreement provided an insight into the scale of the business at this time. He leased two houses, a coach house, stables, outbuildings and other premises in Evers Street. Helped with mortgages from other maltsters and brewers, John Mason acquired adjacent land and established a larger enterprise. He had three tied houses - the Maypole Inn at Cradley Forge, the Red Lion at Wollescote and the Rising Sun Inn at The Lye. Four more pubs were added before the business was acquired by brewer John Samuel Arnold Bell of Kensington, Middlesex. He paid �1,900.0s.0d. for the going concern. Thomas Cornelius Homer was a financial backer during this period and it is thought that the title of the Home Brewery is derived from his surname. It was in 1903 that 29 year-old Joseph Paskin Simpkiss became involved at the Evers Street brewery. In March of the following year the Brewing Trade Review recorded that the "Home Brewery (Quarry Bank) Ltd. had registered with capital of �10,000 in shares of �1 to carry on the business of brewers, wine and spirit merchants, etc., as hitherto carried on by Mr.J.P.Simpkiss, Swan Brewery, Quarry Bank, Staffordshire." Joseph Paskin Simpkiss was the son of William Henry Simpkiss of the Royal Oak Brewery in Brierley Hill, a business in which he learned the trade of brewing and distribution. Joseph Paskin Simpkiss developed a range of seven beers which were retailed through tied houses acquired from John Mason along with others such as the Albion Inn at Wollaston and the Red Lion at Careless Green. Other pubs were acquired including some in Quarry Bank - the Pilgrim's Cottage, Elephant and Castle and The Vine. However, despite almost constant advertising, the company failed to acquire more public houses and relied on the skills of Joseph Paskin Simpkiss to sell through the free trade. He held the post of Managing Director but left the Home Brewery in rather bizarre circumstances. He had inadvertently signed away control of the company to his office manager William Thomas Clewes but, despite a lengthy County Court case in which the judge commented in his favour, Joseph Simpkiss was ousted from his position. He subsequently joined Smith and William's of the Town Brewery at Round Oak before acquiring the Foley Arms on Brettell Lane to continue the Simpkiss story. Jointly managed by William Clewes and William Proctor, the Home Brewery continued until May 1921. Despite further investment in the brewery, including a new bottling plant, the company's downfall was their inability to expand their tied house estate. The brewery stood for many years but was finally demolished in February 1959 when the grandson of William Proctor built a bungalow for himself.

Ind-Coope
Though not strictly a Midlands brewery, Ind Coope has to be included because of its association with Burton-on-Trent. The photograph below shows the company's four maltings that stood next to the main railway lines close to the railway station. Ind Coope initially owned the Star Brewery that was founded by George Cardon in 1709 at Romford, Essex. The brewery was acquired by Edward Ind and J.Grosvenor C.E.Coope in 1799. They opened a brewery in Burton-on-Trent in 1856. Indeed, that was the first instance of a London brewer opening an establishment in Burton to take advantage of the Staffordshire town's famed water. Part of their 19th century brewery still stands, including the water tower. In 1934 Ind Coope merged with their next door neighbours at Burton and traded as Ind Coope and Allsopp Ltd. Merging with Ansell's Brewery and Tetley Walker in 1961 to form Allied Breweries. Ind Coope is part of the Carlsberg Tetley Group.
� Copyright Label images from Digital Photographic Images Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Brewery c.1888

Offices c.1888

c.1910 View of Brewery

1965 View of Brewery

1962 Fire Crew

Old Playing Card

1940's Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

1930's Beer Label

1940's Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

1960's Beer Label

John-Joule and Sons Ltd.
This brewery was founded in 1780 in Stone's High Street but the story of the family concern started in 1758 when maltster Francis Joule acquired the White Horse Inn. The adjoining brewhouse proved too small for the successful business so he moved to the King's Arms in the High Street during 1767. The White Horse Inn was demolished in the same year when Francis Joule built a house on the site. It would later serve as the home of the company's head brewer. The King's Arms is thought to have been established in the early 1600's, making it one of the oldest breweries in England. By 1780 Joule had established a public brewery to supply the firm's other pubs. The founder's son John Joule took over the company in 1813 and it was named John Joule and Son. Why the name of Francis is omitted is curious. The Trent and Mersey Canal flowed past the rear of company's Newcastle Street Ales Stores which enabled the brewery to sell to other parts of the country. In the mid-19th century beers produced at John Joules and Son were being exported to the United States, Australia and Europe. In 1873 Joules was sold to three brewers from Liverpool - John Parrington, Thomas Harding and John Harding. Thomas was the father of John but the three men controlled Harding and Parrington Ltd. based at the Brunswick Brewery in St. James's Street, Liverpool. This company was registered on January 1st 1898 but acquired by Cain's in 1920. Joules was acquired by Bass Charrington in 1970 and production at the Stone brewery ceased in September 1972. A Somerfield supermarket was later built on the site.
� Copyright Label images from Digital Photographic Images Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Dray Horses c.1900

Crown Street c.1920

Dray Vehicles c.1924

Cooper's Shop c.1950

Trussing the Cooper

1930 Advertisement

1950's Advertisement

1960's Advertisement

1930's Beer Label

1940's Beer Label

Early 1950's Beer Label

1940's Beer Label

1953's Beer Label

Late 1950's Beer Label

Lichfield-Brewery Co. Ltd.
This company was registered in July 1869 to acquire two brewing operations in Lichfield - J.A. Griffith & Company and the Lichfield Malting Co.Ltd. The first of these enterprises was established by the wine merchants John and Arthur Griffith. The brewery, located in Beacon Street behind Cathedral House, was operational by 1847. The company had two malthouses in the city, one of which can still be seen next to the railway line close to Upper St. John Street. Located in Tamworth Street, the Lichfield Malting Co.Ltd. was founded in 1864 by John, Henry, and William Gilbert. Following the merger of these two firms, a new brewery was erected on the west side of Upper St. John Street, the offices of which still stands next to the railway bridge. Often experiencing trading difficulties to the extent of being reconstructed in 1890, the company was eventually acquired by Samuel Allsopp and Sons in 1930. The sale included the estate of 182 public houses.
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Marston, Thompson & Evershed
Difficult to know where to file this company following the merger/takeover by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. Indeed, the whole group started to trade as Marston's PLC in January 2007. J. Marston & Son was founded in 1834 by John Marston and from 1864 was based at the extensive Horninglow Brewery at Burton-on-Trent. During the 1890's the company made acquisitions in Burton, Hinckley and Coventry thus expanding their estate of tied houses. In 1898 the company merged with John Thompson & Son Ltd. and in 1902 the combined venture moved to the Albion Brewery in Shobnall. The latter was built in 1875 by Mann, Crossman and Paulin. In 1905 the company acquired Sydney Evershed Ltd. to become Marston, Thompson & Evershed. Evershed's was founded in 1854 and based at the Bank Brewery in Bank Square. The company gradually expanded during the 20th century. In 1984 a major expansion into the Cheshire and North Wales markets was made when they acquired Border Breweries [Wrexham] Ltd. The Albion Brewery is the only remaining production plant that has retained the Burton Union system of fermentation - for its stronger ales at least. Marston's ales were already widely available until the late 1990's but now the best-selling Pedigree can be found in most Banks's houses throughout the Midlands region. Indeed, according to a survey carried out by The Publican magazine, Pedigree has overtaken Draught Bass to become Britain's top-selling bitter. Naturally, the arguments rage as to whether it is the same brew of old. Incidentally, the Burton Union system is a series of large oak casks which are linked by pipes so that the fermenting beer rises from the casks through vertical pipes under the pressure of its carbon dioxide. It then flows through a swan's neck into an open trough that extends the entire length of the casks. The beer then runs back down into the casks, leaving the yeast in the top trough. Beer and yeast circulate through the unions in this way, at a carefully controlled temperature, until fermentation is complete.
� Copyright Horninglow and Albion Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Horninglow Brewery

Albion Batham

Albion Inn Sign

Section of Brewery

Flagship Brand

Regular Beer
Pedigree 4.5%

A beer brewed with natural Burton spring water and traditional varieties of barley and hops [Maris Otter Barley, Fuggles and Goldings]. Pedigree is still brewed in the oak casks of the Burton Union to preserve its unique character, consistent quality and taste. The company sells over 41 million pints of this every year!

Regular Beer
Burton Bitter 3.8%

Regular Beer
Old Empire 5.7%

Guest Ale
Fever Pitch 4.2%

Guest Ale
Pure Blonde 4.2%

Guest Ale
Single Malt 4.2%

Produced for the late summer and early autumn season, Single Malt is brewed using 100% Golden Promise Malt, one of the oldest varieties of brewing barley, and one that has been popular over the years with whiskey distillers. Marston�s brewers feel that it�s notable, yet subtle flavour is well worth its premium price. The company�s Scottish Golden Promise malt combines with fine English aroma hops to produce a beer with a flavour that is subtly different from any other�.. as distinctive as a single malt whiskey.

Guest Ale
Wicked Witch 4.6%

Guest Ale
Strong Pale Ale 6.2%

Guest Ale
Christmas Ale 5.8%

Guest Ale
Ashes Ale 4.1%

Guest Ale
Heart Warmer 4.5%

Produced for the late January and early February drinking sessions, Heart Warmer is a dark beer brewed with roasted malt and malted wheat, giving a fuller flavour.

Guest Ale
Evening Glow 5.0%

Guest Ale
VPA 4.0%

Guest Ale
Night Watchman 3.8%

Guest Ale
Oyster Stout 4.5%

1940's Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

Old-Wolverhampton-Breweries Ltd.
This company was established and registered in 1910 brewery was founded in 1910 in order to amalgamate two notable breweries, that of J.& J. Yardley Ltd and I. Yardley & Sons of Bloxwich and the South Staffordshire Brewery Co. Ltd of Wolverhampton. The newly combined tied-estate totalled 134 public houses. The company was based at the South Staffordshire Brewery premises in Market Street, Wolverhampton. The whole enterprise was acquired by Frank Myatt Ltd in 1919.

Thomas Salt & Co. Ltd.
The carts on the right of the second photograph below give the appearance of a ramshackle yard. However, the brewery of Thomas Salt & Co. was a very large concern, as can be seen in the first illustration. The premises were based at 119 High Street in Burton-on-Trent. The company was founded in 1774 by the maltster Thomas Salt. Subsequent members of the family expanded the business with other sites being acquired and utilised. For example, in the early 19th the family business had a maltings at Stapenhill and brewing also took place on Bridge Street. The company was registered in November 1893; the tied estate was extended over a large area with pubs as far as Norfolk and Gloucester. In the latter county Salt's operated the Rising Sun in Gloucester and Unicorn Inn at Cheltenham. The company was acquired by the Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton empire in 1927; brewing on this site ceased soon after this date.
� Copyright Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Brewery from River 1888

Brewery Yard c.1910

Brewery from High Street

J. P. Simpkiss and Son Ltd.
Following the sale of the Home Brewery, Joseph Paskin Simpkiss bought the Foley Arms at Silver End [between Brierley Hill and Amblecote] in 1921. Within four years he had increased production of beer to the rear of the pub to 145 barrels per week. In 1934 the brewery was rebuilt to the designs of son Dennis Simpkiss and it was even named the Dennis Brewery. A five quarter brewery, production of 40 barrels a day was now possible. The company acquired more pubs in which to sell the popular Simpkiss ales. In 1936 a bottling plant was installed at the Dennis Brewery and two years later the business was registered. Joseph Simpkiss died soon after this and Dennis Simpkiss took over the company. His son Jonathon Simpkiss would later lead the company which, in the 1970's, even had a kegging line installed by Ansell's. As managing director, Jonathon Simpkiss sold the Dennis Brewery in 1985 to Greenall Whitley in a cash a share deal worth �1.9m. Simpkiss beers were last produced in July 1985 and Greenall's demolished the brewery three years later. In July 2003 John Richards reported that Jonathon Simpkiss was a tax exile living on the Isle of Man.
� Copyright Label images from Digital Photographic Images Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

1950's Beer Label

1960's Beer Label

1979 Beer Label

1985 Beer Label

Smith-and-Williams
This company was based at the Town Brewery at Round Oak, Brierley Hill though W. H. Smith founded his brewery at the Delph Brewery in 1897. The company was acquired along with a tied estate of 60 pubs by Julia Hanson and Son Ltd in April 1934. The County Express newspaper commented at the time that this "was the largest purchase of licensed property in South Staffordshire and North Worcestershire."

Truman,-Hanbury,-Buxton & Co. Ltd.
This brewery started life in London in 1666 but became very much a Midlands brewer when the company purchased Phillips' Brewery at Burton in 1873. This was a response to the invasion of Burton-based beers into London after the development of the railways. The company rebuilt the brewery at Burton between 1874 and 1876 and called it the Black Eagle Brewery after their original brewery in Stepney. Pictured here next to the Midland Railway's yard and bordering Derby Street, the Black Eagle Brewery was sadly demolished in 1973, just two years after production ceased on the site. The company's name was changed to Truman's Ltd in 1971 when Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd. acquired the group. Three years later the firm was was merged with Watney Mann Ltd.
� Copyright Label images from Digital Photographic Images Brewery images from Staffordshire Past-Track and reproduced with kind permission.

Burton Brewery c.1988

London Brewery c.1840

1870's Beer Label

1930's Beer Label

1940's Beer Label

1950's Beer Label

Late 1950's Beer Label

Peter-Walker & Co. Ltd.
This company was founded in 1860 - not at Burton, but at the Willow Brewery in Wrexham. However, the extensive brewery at Clarence Street in Shobnall, Burton was opened in 1883. There was another company that brewed at Dallam Lane in Warrington. This business was registered as Peter Walker & Sons, Warrington and Burton Ltd. Peter Walker & Co. Ltd. had an outpost in Tipton which was used to supply a number of public houses in Birmingham, the Black Country and South Staffordshire. The company was acquired by the Aston-based Atkinson's Brewery in 1925. The large Goat Maltings of the old enterprise can still be found in Clarence Street.
� Copyright Label images from Digital Photographic Images

1910's Beer Label

1930's Beer Label

White-and-Combe
This brewery was established in Albert Road by Thomas White in 1860. Born in Bolehall in 1822, Thomas White was formerly a cabinet maker and established a small business in Tamworth's Bolebridge Street. His wife may have died in childbirth because he was a widow when the census enumerator recorded him as a widow living with his two year-old daughter Ann. When he moved to Albert Road to start his new business as a maltster and brewer, he was accompanied by his sister Catherine. The beers produced by Thomas White proved popular and within a decade he had a small workforce engaged at the site. He re-married in the 1860's; his wife Mary Ann hailed from Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire. The profitable business enabled the couple to employ servants in the house. Born on the Isle of Skye, the wholesale wine and spirits merchant Norman McFie established a business next to the brewery and shared part of the brewery yard with Thomas White. Nearing the end of his working life, Thomas White went into partnership with John Combe, a younger brewer from Gloucestershire. By 1898 the business was trading as White and Combe. Thomas White died in 1901 but the brewery continued until the First World War. Indeed, John Combe was known to purchase pubs in order to develop a tied estate. In an auction held by Messrs. Winterton and Son in July 1906 he bought the freehold of the Seven Stars, an old pub situated on Watling Street at Wall. The company paid �1,055,0s.0d. Prior to this, John Combe had acquired the Green Man Inn at Clifton Campville.

Wolverhampton-and-Dudley-Breweries Ltd
This company is based at the Park Brewery, the home of Banks's Brewery. Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. was formed as a public company in 1890 from an amalgamation of three local brewing businesses - Banks's of Park Brewery, George Thompson and Sons of Dudley and Charles Colonel Smith of the Fox Brewery in Wolverhampton. The company grew to become one of the largest independent regional brewers. Floated on the stock exchange in 1964, by 1990 W&DB controlled 800 tied houses. Other breweries were acquired, notably Mansfield and Cameron's. The prized purchase was that of Marston, Thompson and Evershed of Burton-on-Trent, acquired in February 1999 with an estate of 918 pubs. However, in 2001 the whole group was thrown into confusion when Pubmaster made a �453m hostile bid to takeover the company. Shareholders had to vote on this and the brewery only just about held on to its position. It was still bad news for some when rationalisation was forced - the Mansfield Brewery was closed and production was shifted to Wolverhampton in 2001. Cameron's was sold to Castle Eden in April 2002. In 2005 the company acquired Jennings Brewery and two years later they also acquired the Ringwood Brewery. In 2007 the company changed to Marston's plc.
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Park Brewery

Wordsley-Brewery Co. Ltd.
This company was based at the Lion Brewery in Brewery Street (now Brierley Hill Road), Buckpool, Wordsley. Registered in March 1896, the Wordsley Brewery got into financial difficulties in 1906 and was wound up. This led to an auction of the brewery and a handful of tied houses. The sale was held at The Property Mart at Temple Row West in Birmingham on Thursday July 26th 1906.