Ridley's Brewery
 | |
| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1842 |
| Founder | Thomas Dixon Ridley |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner | Greene King |
Ridley's Brewery is a defunct brewing company. It was founded in 1842, and was located in Hartford End, Essex. In August 2002 the company bought out the Tolly Cobbold brewery. Then, in 2005 Ridley's was bought by Greene King and dismantled. The executive chairman of Greene King is Nicholas Ridley, the great-great-grandson of Thomas Dixon Ridley, the founder of Ridley's.
The independent company
Ridley's was officially T. D. Ridley & Sons Ltd. It started as a water mill at Hartford End and from that it developed a flour milling business in Chelmsford, two maltings, also in Chelmsford, and the brewery which stayed at Hartford End.[1] In the early 1970s, Ridley's is recorded as having "just over 60" tied houses, mostly in central and north-west Essex.[1]