Mansfield Brewery

The original Mansfield Brewery offices, April 2004

Mansfield Brewery was a brewery and public house operating company, based in the North Notts Coalfield market town of Mansfield, England. Established in 1855, after being taken over by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries in 1999, the brewing of the branded beers was moved to Wolverhampton in 2002, where it continues today under the control of Marston's. The site of the former brewery is in 2014 cleared, awaiting redevelopment, possibly named as the "Mansfield Brewery Gate".

History

In 1855, brewer John Watson of Sheffield formed a partnership with farmer Samuel Hage of Whitewater, Ollerton, and investor William Edward Baily, of Mansfield. The partners bought land at Littleworth to build a brewery, but by 1856 Watson has sold his shares to the other two partners.[1] To support their business, the partners established a malting facility in 1863.[1]

In 1873 Addison Titley bought into the business, followed in 1885 by William Jackson Chadburn, Baly's brother-in-law, who became the dominant owning partner.[1] By 1901, the firm leased 72 licenced premises, from public houses to hotels, as well as numerous off licences, resulting in the rebuilding of the main brewery in 1907.[1]

After WJ Chadburn's death in 1922, from February 1925 the business became the private limited liability company The Mansfield Brewery Company Ltd. After acquiring the Chesterfield Brewery in 1934, in 1935 the company became publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange.[1]

Post World War 2, the company acquired Hornby's soft drink distributors in 1955, TW Beach in 1980, and North Country Breweries (formerly Hull Brewery) of Humberside for £42M in 1985, including 212 tied houses. By 1987, the company was operating a total of 420 licenced premises,[1] and was one of the area's largest employers.

The main beer brewed was Mansfield Bitter, along with other popular brands including Riding Bitter, Marston Old Baily, and Marksman Lager. The brewery also boasted a large array of seasonal beers, including the "Deakins" range.

Present

Part of the demolition site showing the chimney

In 1999 the company was taken over by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, which quickly moved production to the Park Brewery in Wolverhampton.[2] The distinct flavour of the Mansfield beers due to the local hard water content was instantly lost, and sales began to fall quickly. Brewing at Mansfield, which had been quickly wound down after the takeover, resulted in the closure of the brewery in 2002.

The site was eventually cleared by demolition contractors the Cuddy Group in late 2008,[3] with many local residents feeling that the destruction of the brewery's brick chimney by twelve explosive charges brought to an end part of the town's cultural heritage, and officially marked the end of brewing in Mansfield. There were few feelings of nostalgia from Councillor Kate Allsop who stated: "I have to say I was pleased to see the chimney finally come down. It’s been an eyesore for such a long time”.[3]

The land on which the brewery once stood was immediately put up for sale. In 2008, Mansfield District Council released blueprints, showing plans to develop the area in mixed-use scheme, including offices, leisure facilities and residential developments.[4] As of 2014, the site is still undeveloped and being marketed for commercial use.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Lesley Richmond & Alison Turton. The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records.
  2. ↑ Our History, Marstons website
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cuddy Group Eyesore Brewery bites the dust Retrieved 2014-08-19
  4. ↑ Council plans for eyesore Mansfield Brewery site backed Helen Lambourne, Chad.co.uk, 10 March 2008
  5. ↑ Edisons property Retrieved 2014-08-19

External links

Coordinates: 53°08′26″N 1°11′32″W / 53.1405°N 1.1923°W