Wards Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Wards Brewing Company was a brewing
company based at Sheaf Brewery on Ecclesall Road
, Sheffield
, England
. Now a subsidiary of Double Maxim Beer Company
. The most famous brand produced was Wards Best Bitter.
The company continued to expand in the twentieth century by acquiring and restoring pubs. This was halted by the onset of the Second World War due to a lack of raw materials. The brewery was hit by 3 Incendiary bombs in 1940, which caused the death of 4 of its workers. Despite these setbacks it recovered after the end of the war and continued restoring pubs.
and continued to brew bitter as a subsidiary. Despite still being profitable the brewery was closed in 1999 as the Vaux company was broken up after an acrimonious takeover by financiers. Members of the Vaux founding family, the Nicholsons, attempted a Management Buyout of Wards but their offer was rejected.
On the final day of operation an unofficial celebration to mark the years of dedicated, hard work of the Wards staff was held. The much respected Operations Manager, and former Head Brewer PAUL Simpson (also an RNR Officer) was parodied by one of the brewing operatives who wore a home made sailor suit. Another first for this last day was that several 'generations' of the breweries Excise Officers, including Lorraine Baker and David Bates, actually bought everyone else a beer by installing a barrel in the brewer tap, The Devonshire, across the road from the brewery. A final note - the cremated remains of the last brewery cat, once to be found in the Sample/Training Room, was spirited away and now rests in peace in the house of one of the former Excise Officers.
The land was sold to developers who demolished most of it to make way for apartments. Ironically, it was revealed later that the price achieved was several £million less than the buyout that would have saved this much-loved brewer. Many of those units still stand empty.
in 2003 and is run as a subsidiary called Wards Brewing Company. After a successful launch of the a bottled version (brewed by Robinson's
of Stockport
), a cask
version (originally re-brewed by Jennings
of Cockermouth
) is now also brewed by Robinsons and is available in pubs. Note the branding still states 'Wards Sheaf Brewery Sheffield' which could be construed as misleading.
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
company based at Sheaf Brewery on Ecclesall Road
Ecclesall Road
|thumb|200px|right|Ecclesall Road South, which runs through a large part of the Hallam Constituency, the second wealthiest in the UK.Ecclesall Road is a road in Sheffield that runs for about 3.5 miles south-west from Sheffield's city centre under the number A625...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Now a subsidiary of Double Maxim Beer Company
Double Maxim Beer Company
The Double Maxim Beer Company was set up to rescue the famous Double Maxim beer, which had ceased production when the Vaux brewery was closed in the same year....
. The most famous brand produced was Wards Best Bitter.
Early years
In 1837, William Roper and John Kiby started a brewery and business on Effingham Street. Roper died in 1842 leaving John Kiby in sole control. He was joined by George Wright in 1860.S.H. Ward
Septimus Henry Ward joined the company in 1868 when it ran into financial trouble. Due to the substantial amount he invested the primary brand was renamed Wards Best Bitter. George Wright left the partnership a year later. The business continued to expand buying up other breweries and associated public houses. In 1876 they bought the SOHO Brewery and made it their main premises, renaming it to Sheaf Brewery. It was made a limited company called S.H. Wards & Company Limited in 1896.The company continued to expand in the twentieth century by acquiring and restoring pubs. This was halted by the onset of the Second World War due to a lack of raw materials. The brewery was hit by 3 Incendiary bombs in 1940, which caused the death of 4 of its workers. Despite these setbacks it recovered after the end of the war and continued restoring pubs.
Demise
In 1972 the company was acquired by Vaux & Associated BreweriesVaux Breweries
Vaux Breweries was a major brewer based in Sunderland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The Company was founded by Cuthbert Vaux in Sunderland in 1837 and for nearly 170 years was a major employer in the town....
and continued to brew bitter as a subsidiary. Despite still being profitable the brewery was closed in 1999 as the Vaux company was broken up after an acrimonious takeover by financiers. Members of the Vaux founding family, the Nicholsons, attempted a Management Buyout of Wards but their offer was rejected.
On the final day of operation an unofficial celebration to mark the years of dedicated, hard work of the Wards staff was held. The much respected Operations Manager, and former Head Brewer PAUL Simpson (also an RNR Officer) was parodied by one of the brewing operatives who wore a home made sailor suit. Another first for this last day was that several 'generations' of the breweries Excise Officers, including Lorraine Baker and David Bates, actually bought everyone else a beer by installing a barrel in the brewer tap, The Devonshire, across the road from the brewery. A final note - the cremated remains of the last brewery cat, once to be found in the Sample/Training Room, was spirited away and now rests in peace in the house of one of the former Excise Officers.
The land was sold to developers who demolished most of it to make way for apartments. Ironically, it was revealed later that the price achieved was several £million less than the buyout that would have saved this much-loved brewer. Many of those units still stand empty.
Resurrection
The Wards brand was bought by the Double Maxim Beer CompanyDouble Maxim Beer Company
The Double Maxim Beer Company was set up to rescue the famous Double Maxim beer, which had ceased production when the Vaux brewery was closed in the same year....
in 2003 and is run as a subsidiary called Wards Brewing Company. After a successful launch of the a bottled version (brewed by Robinson's
Robinson's Brewery
Robinsons is a family run regional brewery founded in 1838 by William Robinson at the Unicorn Inn, Stockport, England. The company's brewery is called the Unicorn Brewery....
of Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
), a cask
CASK
Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...
version (originally re-brewed by Jennings
Jennings Brewery
Jennings Brewery was established as a family concern in 1828 in the village of Lorton, between Keswick and Cockermouth in the Lake District, England. The brewery was started by John Jennings Snr, son of William Jennings . Jennings brewed exclusively in Lorton until 1874 when its present home, the...
of Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
) is now also brewed by Robinsons and is available in pubs. Note the branding still states 'Wards Sheaf Brewery Sheffield' which could be construed as misleading.
Brands
- Wards Best Bitter (bottled 4.5% abv)
- Wards Best Bitter (cask 4% abv)
- Wards 1840 (4.5 abv)