Dudley

The Hanson's story started in 1847 in the town's Priory Street. Julia Hanson was the daughter of maltster and victualler John Mantle of the Saracen's Head in Stone Street. In 1846 she married Thomas Hanson, a wine and spirit merchant from King's Bromley. During the following year the couple established a wine and spirit business in Priory Street. By the end of the decade Thomas Hanson had formed a partnership with William Hughes, a local pub owner and maltster. Together they traded as Hughes and Hanson. When Thomas Hanson died his wife Julia took charge of the business and moved to premises in Upper Tower Street. Her sons William and Thomas worked in two of the company's pubs to gain valuable experience. Julia Hanson died at the age of 78 in 1874 and her sons took over the family concern. Within 12 months they acquired the old Peacock Hotel and Brewery in Dudley's Upper High Street. They redeveloped the site in 1897 and five years later registered as Julia Hanson & Sons Ltd. By this time the company had an extensive tied estate of almost 100 pubs throughout the Black Country. William Hanson succeeded his older brother Thomas as managing director following his death in May 1919. Soon after this the company acquired the brewery and tied estate of the Kidderminster brewer Frederick Tandy. In the following decade Hanson's bought out Smith and Williams and gained a further 60 public houses that opened new markets in Staffordshire and Worcestershire. The company were however bought out by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. in 1943. W&DB had steadily bought shares in Hanson's before they gained a controlling interest in 1943. It was not the end of Hanson's. The brewery and pubs retained a degree of autonomy and the Hanson's livery can still be found on many of the old boozers. Sadly however, the brewery closed in the early 1990's and production was moved to Wolverhampton. The brewery's site was cleared for a Netto supermarket - and Dudley has never smelled the same again.

 Worcester

Based at the Lowesmoor Brewery in Worcester, this company had only registered the year before as a subsidiary of the Chipping Norton firm of Hitchman & Co.Ltd. In 1924 the company, along with 13 public houses, were acquired by Hunt, Edmunds & Co.Ltd. of Banbury.

Dudley

The Diamond Brewery of Hutchin's and Jackson was located at Cromwell Street in Kate's Hill, Dudley. Owned by Joseph Plant, the business was well established by 1899. The firm was advertised for sale in the Dudley Advertiser on June 15th 1901. The sale included two pubs along with the brewery tap which operated as an off licence. The brewery plant was described as almost new and 5 quarters in size with a capacity of around 240 barrels per week. The two pubs were the Loving Lamb Inn at Kate's Hill and the Black Horse in Dudley's Upper High Street. The partnership of Hutchin's and Jackson bought the business and retained the name of the Diamond Brewery. By 1912 John Jackson had bought out his partner and slowly developed the business. By 1920 he went into partnership with Percy Crowhurst, a man who owned several pubs in the area. The company's tied estate had grown to 15 when they were acquired by Darby's Brewery of Greet's Green, West Bromwich. They were, in turn, bought by Mitchell's and Butler's in 1951.

Kidderminster

In 1896 this brewery was registered as the Worcestershire Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. to amalgamate by Bucknall's Brewery of Kidderminster and the Delph Brewery at Brierley Hill. The two companies combined had an estate of 126 public houses. The company's name was changed in 1904 to the Kidderminster Brewery Co.Ltd. Brewing ceased at the Blackwell Street site in 1914, a year after the company was acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd.

Stourbridge

With production based at both Round Oak and Stourbridge breweries, this company had an extensive estate of public houses because it was formed out of several other smaller firms. The NWB, as it was known, was registered in May 1896 when the Stourbridge Brewery amalgamated with the Round Oak Brewery of Brierley Hill, the White Swan Brewery in Oldbury and the Rowley Brewery in Blackheath. The company supplied a tied estate of 135 pubs by the time it was acquired by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. in 1910.

Cradley

Part of the brewery buildings of William Oliver's enterprise can still be found next to the Talbot Hotel, a pub he also built in the late 19th century. Indeed, the brewery was called the Talbot Brewery and supplied a number of public houses in the Black Country. The malthouse for the brewery was across the road in Chapelhouse Lane. Registered in December 1915, the Talbot Brewery was acquired by Darby's Brewery of Greet's Green, West Bromwich in 1937.

Netherton

The Five Ways Brewery of John Rolinson and Son first opened around 1835 as a homebrew house run by Thomas Penbury. John Rolinson was not the licensee until 1877. Joined by his son Daniel in 1885 the business began to grow slowly. John Rolinson could hardly be described as an aggressive expansionist - he simply bought other local properties as and when they came onto the market. He died at the age of 74 on January 13th 1896. Son Daniel had to raise a mortgage to keep control of the brewery and tied estate. He became a Dudley Town Councillor in 1896 but made several inexplicable business decisions that caused much concern among the board. Edwin John Thompson of Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries was brought in to steady the ship. Daniel Rolinson went his own way buying pub of inordinate size or in odd locations - he even acquired one in Bodmin before he was declared bankrupt in August 1910. He ended up working at the Green Dragon in Dudley until his death in 1920. The brewery he left continued to wobble and eventually folded in 1925. The tied estate of 59 public houses was taken over by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd.

Dudley

This company was based at the Victoria Brewery in Dudley's Hall Street. The brewery was founded in 1873 by John Dawes, licensee of the Lamp Tavern in Hall Street. Once he got established and enjoyed some success he leased a second pub - the Seven Stars Inn on the High Street. He also bought two more beer houses in Wolverhampton Street and Charlotte Street respectively. John Dawes' expansion plans may have been too ambitious for he found himself in financial difficulties by 1880. It was at the creditors meeting held on December 8th 1880 that George Thompson bought the estate of John Dawes for 2/6d in the pound. He later acquired the Dudley Brewery, also located in Hall Street and these two businesses formed the newly-created Dudley and Victoria Breweries. This company would form part of Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. when it registered in 1890. Members of the Thompson family have remained at the helm of W&DB since the 19th century.