Leicester Brewing & Malting - A History

Leicester Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd, Eagle Brewery, 51 Upper Charnwood Street.

In 1791, a Mr Bates was listed as a victualler in High Cross Street and prior to this a William Fancote had been operating a malt office on the street.

In 1812, the Pack Horse with its brewhouse was available on a 22 year lease. There was also a sale of the previous tenant’s goods, one John Bates. In addition, in 1827, Henry Bates was at the Rainbow and Dove in Northampton Square, which was linked with the Hannam’s brewing interests (see Leicester Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd).

Then in 1846, John Bates was a brewer in Friar’s Causeway, whilst William Bates was a brewer and maltster in Southgate Street. William Bates may have been using the site which was later used by [[Everards Ltd]. Prior to this a James Bates was letting the Nag’s Head and malt office at Mount Sorrel.

In 1864, TC Carver was advertising in the Chronicle, that he had left JW Goodwin in order to operate the Northampton Street Brewery as TC Carver & Company. His move seems to have been a result of TG Cock taking a role at Goodwins (see All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd).

Around 1867, Carver & Bates were shown at the Eagle Brewery, Northampton Square. This was originally the Northampton Square brewhouse owned by the Hannam family. Thomas Cave Carver was at 15 Northampton Street, next to the Rainbow and Dove. They were advertising the availability of their Mild at 10d per gallon and their “Very Strong Old Ale”.

In 1870, the Charnwood Street area was developed. Prior to this date, the street was not shown in the directories. However, it is not clear if this was when Carver and Bates built their new brewery there. In the same year, Carver and Bates were also shown as maltsters at Syston, but this may possibly be a mistake for Syston Street, which was a site shown later in their property books.

Despite the new building, in 1870 and 1871, Carver and Bates were still shown as brewers and maltsters at 15 Northampton Street. Frederick Ernest Bates was shown as the brewer, living at 6 Stockdale Terrace on London Road. A John Bates was shown as an ale and porter agent at 95 Palmerston Street and a William H Bates was a similar agent at 75 Willow Street. Despite all the seeming family connections, Frederick seems to have been the son of a hosier, also called Frederick.

In 1875 Frederick Bates was still shown at the Eagle Brewery, 15 Northampton Street, but with his home at 4 Fosse Road Terrace. In 1876 the Charnwood site was extended; however the same year they were still shown as TC Carver & Company, brewers in Northampton Street, which suggests that this was still the offices if not the main brewery.

In 1877 Frederick Bates was shown as a brewer at 15 Northampton Street and also operating from 73 Corn Exchange, the latter address presumably being offices. Around this time, he was also shown at Lower Kent Street, possibly where he was a maltster, and the Eagle Brewery, Upper Charnwood Street. The Kent Street site may be that used in 1870 by Charles Sawbridge, who was a joiner and victualler at the George & Dragon, No 11/13.

Frederick’s advertising stated that he was an ale and stout brewer. His speciality was “a pure bitter ale warranted thoroughly sound at all seasons”. This was presumably the Diamond Pale Ale which retailed at 1/2d per gallon.

By 1880 Frederick Bates had become Bates, Son & Bishell (F2700), Northampton and Lower Charnwood Streets. The following year, Bates, Son & Bishell were listed as ale and stout brewers, 15 Northampton Street and both Upper and Lower Charnwood. They were also shown at the Queen’s Head,, 12 Town Hall Lane.

In 1884 both Northampton Street and Upper Charnwood were still listed, whilst Frederick Bates was shown as a brewer in Townhall Lane. In 1886, the Brewers’ Journal reported that Bates, Son & Bishell had agreed to have brewery work done by Briggs & Company of Burton.

On 30th June 1890, Bates Son & Bishell registered the Leicester Brewing & Malting Company Ltd. This was together with Needham and Crick maltsters, Tower Buildings, Church Gate. The background to Needham and Crick is somewhat confused, with links to several different sites, but in particular the Harrison family (see entry). It would seem that their business was in supplying the many small brew-pubs which were still in existence and these seem to have been inherited by LB&M. This caused numerous changes of ownership during the next few years as the emphasis switched from supplying malt for brewing to actually supplying beer from a single central plant. A later analysis of the “goodwill” of the business, placed a value of £10,000 on BS&B and £5,000 on N&C, giving an indication of their respective contributions.

Needhams may also have been operating the maltings at the Rutland Brewery in Oakham, and previously malting at Hinckley and Huncote. Needham & Company of Norfolk also supplied malt to the All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd in Leicester, in some cases via Syston. Interestingly, a William Bates and William Needham were millers together at Thrussington in 1884.

The new company owned 50 freehold licensed houses, numerous shops and cottages, 84 leasehold, mortgaged and other houses. The total value of the business was £112,104. This was payable to the vendors for the properties, goodwill and plant, made up of £50,000 in ordinary shares and the balance in preference shares and cash.

The share capital was:-

• 5,000 x £10 Ordinary Shares
• 5,000 x £10 Cumulative Preference

There was also a £50,000 debenture mortgage, of which £47,200 had been issued to cover property. The first meeting of the new Board had taken place on 1st June. Major Frederick Carne Rasch MP was the Chairman and the other directors were:-

• Richard Turner, vice-chairman, Cliftonville, Northants • Frederick Bates, Elmstead, Kirby Musloe • Ernest Frederick Bates, Managing Director, Claremont Villa, Humberstone Road • Joseph Bishell, Northampton Square, Leicester • Throne Crick, Clydesdale, Stoneygate • Henry Woodcock Needham, Syston • William J Crick, Company Secretary, Northampton Square

Major Rasch also became a director of the newly-formed Birmingham Breweries Ltd in 1896. Another link was Robert Longman, who was both a director of LB&M and the brewer for, and son-in-law of, William Blencowe at Brackley. Perhaps somewhat ominously, Major Rasch, who lived at Danbury in Essex, was also a director of the Birmingham Vinegar Brewing Company.

Throne Crick, the son of a William Throne Crick a commercial traveller, seems to have been a shoe manufacturer. Hence, his connection with Needhams may have been purely financial.

The company employed 3 agents, 5 travellers and 9 clerks. The brewer was Charles Edward Saunders, with Walter George Turner as the under-brewer. The brewery employed 21 men and there were 6 carters for delivery.

In addition to the brewery, the business was renting an office and stores next to the Dove, with a yearly lease of £180 going back to 1882. This expired on 1st April 1892 and was given up. There were two 75 quarter malthouses on Gresham Street, valued at £4,400. The two 45 quarter malthouses on Syston Street were valued at £4,050, but were sold for £3,600 in September 1892 to John Taylor. Malting was clearly still a major part of the business in its own right. For example they were prepared to allow Langton & Sons of Melton to supply beer to the Princess Charlotte for £83 pa if they took 300 quarters of malt. Langton & Sons agreed the deal at 250 quarters.

However, the minute books show that there were initial problems with the Birmingham houses, which the company had inherited. One of the first steps was the dismissal of the local agent, a Falkoner Morgan, and his replacement by JL Needham. The warehouse and office at 33 Albert Street, which was rented for £60 pa, was given up and the fixtures removed to Leicester. They had also inherited a contract with Marstons PLC for the supply of beer to the houses, but they were able to re-negotiate this from 8 barrels of pale ale per week to 6 barrels.

In November 1890, the Board decided that the Birmingham houses, which were not paying, should be advertised as brewing houses. The following month it was decided:-

• Hands to Pump, Stourbridge - tenant to be allowed to put in her own brewing vessels, 1889 agreement to take 2 barrels of Marstons PLC per week

• Old Station - structural alterations

• George & Dragon, Oldbury - to try Leicester beer for another month

• White Lion, Bilston - accept best offer over £50

• Jolly Sailor, Bilston - keep trying

• Three Crowns, Lye - tenant to put in plant and take fittings

• Dog & Partridge - 5 month’s notice to give up

• Flag Tavern - sell with licence for at least £750

• Seven Stars, Willenhall - tenant to put in plant

Nevertheless, despite these problems, they managed 5% on the debenture and an interim 6% dividend on the ordinary shares.

The following year, the problems with the share issue were resolved with a re-allocation as follows:-

• Frederick Bates

• Ernest F Bates

• Joseph Bishell

• Throne Crick

• Henry W Needham

• Richard Turner

• Walter G Turner

• Everard & de Peyer

• CE Saunders

Problems continued with, in June 1891, the Board instigating a scheme to investigate whether salaries and wages could be reduced. Possibly related to these discussions, the following month, Mr Saunders the brewer resigned. WG Turner’s salary was increased by £50 pa, so presumably he had taken on Saunder’s role. They considered buying the properties of the Whissendine Brewery, but continuing problems with the Birmingham houses were probably sufficient to stop them so doing. They were prepared to accept any offer over £1,500 for the outright purchase of the Birmingham properties, or a separate offer of £150 if tied for malt. This shows a hangover from the malting business and it is of interest to note, that the 6 Black Country houses seem to have been bought separately by Mr Needham.

The continuing difficulties were probably why they rejected the offer of the Church Hill Tavern, Wednesbury, available for £800 to £900 and the British Lion at Digbeth.

Problems were still continuing from the work at the brewery and the change in focus of the business, as shown in the following notice to the workforce from R Turner:- “To impress upon the management the necessity of economy in every department and endeavour to counteract as much as possible the serious loss which must inevitably follow the sale of the inferior article we have been for some months supplying to our customers.”

The complicated nature of property ownership can be seen in the loan of £12,000 to Orson Wright to buy properties, which were then tied to LB&M. Similarly, many of the properties were owned by the holders of the debenture mortgage, rather than LB&M. The three properties in Grantham seem to have been owned by J Bishell.

The year 1892 saw the extensions to the brewery and new offices completed, financed by the sale of the Syston Street maltings, representing the switch from malt to beer supply. This allowed the move from the other properties. However, they also leased offices at 76 Upper Charles Street until 1896, when they are also shown at No 74, the latter possibly being the beerhouse which James Hannam had owned. For a brief period around 1892, they also leased offices at 7 Abbey Street, Nuneaton. The brewery address seems to have changed from 73 to 51 Charwood Street, presumably as a result of the re-building.

In the January, they considered buying HH Parry’s brewery, but it is not clear if this was at Langham or Leicester. They did buy the Rainbow and Dove, which they had previously leased and this represented part of a continuing rationalisation of the estate. This involved a move away from leasehold and country properties to town pubs, to which they owned the freehold. These property deals were linked in several cases to Orton Wright and a WF Adams. The latter individual seems to have bought the houses in the Nuneaton area, but may well have continued to purchase beer from Leicester. They seem to have turned down the Sir Thomas Whyte with its brewing plant at £2,625 and it remained owned by Needham and Crick.

In May 1892, WG Turner was still described as the under-brewer, so it is not clear who was regarded as the Head Brewer, whose salary was £300. Turner was also the secretary, assistant manager and inspector of houses, which seems a wide range of duties for his £170 pa salary. However, around this time they were also having problems with bad beer. The following year EW Beale was mentioned as the brewer and it is possible that he had replaced one of the Bates family.

In the September, they finally managed to dispose of the Birmingham properties. In October 1892, they sold three houses to Henry Harrison Parry (Langham) as part of the continuing programme of estate rationalisation.

In December 1893, they declined a Stamford brewery. This was probably Phillips Stamford Brewery Ltd which had been on sale in the July, but had failed to reach its reserve price. They had previously turned down a brewery at Spalding with 11 houses and also Bannisters at Lutterworth.

In March 1894, they were looking to increase the private trade by offering more discount for prompt payment. In September there was discussion regarding the payment of bonuses linked to the shareholder dividends, which caused some disagreement within the Board. Indeed, JC Rasch stated that he would resign unless his fee was fixed at 100 guineas, independent of the dividend.

In December 1895, WG Turner was to have a pupil brewer, which suggests that he had become the Head Brewer by this time. Perhaps linked to this, in June 1896 EF Bates was relinquishing some of his duties as MD and secretary. Turner was to become the general manager at an extra £60 pa. Although, the Wright’s directories of 1894 and 1896 identify a GE Bates as the MD, this name does not fit with those shown in the minute books. In June 1896, some property was sold to Brunt, Bucknall & Co.

The town office at Northampton Street was to close, leaving their directory entry as 51 Charnwood Street and 74 Upper Charles Street.

In July 1897 HW Needham who had been living at Syston, died, shortly after having bought the Victoria Inn in the village. Perhaps as a mark of his growing importance to the business, WG Turner was on a salary of £40 per month.

January 1898 saw discussions regarding the possibility of investing £1,000 in a proposed business to bottle beer and mineral waters. This was a classic example of how local brewers often worked together. This was the business of RC Allen.

In 1898, there was further work at the brewery, with £2,000 for a new boiler house and chimney. This also provided steam heating for the premises. They also spent £46 on re-painting the exterior. The brewer, who by this date may have been EW Beale was paid £5 per week, with a £50 bonus if an annual dividend of at least 8% could be achieved. There would be an additional £50 if 10% was achieved, a clear example of performance related pay.

In May 1898 a decline in sales was noted and this was presumably related to the decision to sell the outlying country houses. The only director to vote against this was Mr Bishell, which was not surprising given his ownership of the three Grantham pubs. He was living at Baldock around this time, which may explain his ownership of properties so far from the brewery.

The property disposals included two houses to Eady & Dulley Ltd. They also sold some 7 pubs to WF Adams for £13,000, presumably with some tie on beer. In the December, although the cost of raw materials was rising, they decided not to reduce the strength of their beer, after comparing it with the other local brews. However, they did decide, if necessary, to engage a detective to monitor if their tenants were buying spirits elsewhere!

In 1899, they were reporting a gross profit on trading of £45,253 against a capital value for the estate, goodwill and plant of £179,500. The bill for wages and salaries was £6,765. They also owned 400 shares in RC Allen. The July AGM agreed a 10% dividend, making 15% for the year. They were also able to add £9,000 to the reserves, taking them to £42,000. In the October an EGM was held which increased the capital of the business to £150,000 by the issue of 5,000 £10 shares. This was linked to a proposal to pay off the debentures.

In September, they were noting that the sales for the three months were up by 700 barrels. As a result of the increased beer tax, the strength of the beers was examined once more, and this time the strength was to be reduced as follows:-

• XXX and XXXX by 1½lbs each
• X and XX by 2 lbs

The weights were presumably related to those of the raw materials i.e. malt being used in the brews.

In consideration of the financial situation, they decided to sell the five remaining country houses, with provisional values as follows:-

• Oadby £1,300
• Blaby off-licence £500
• Earl Stamford, Ratby £2,400
• Yew Trees, Ratby £3,000
• New Inn, Cosby £2,400

The latter two properties were bought by the Lichfield Brewery Company. However, they were prepared to invest £1,000 on new machinery for the maltings. EW Beale, the brewer who was also responsible for barley and malt purchasing, also joined the Board. The managing director’s salary was raised to £50 per month.

As a result of the death in 1897 of HW Needham, some of his shares went to the Crisp family. The latter family is of course a famous malting one and it may be that this is evidence of the connections common in the industry. Mrs Crisp then disposed of some shares to the Marstons PLC and the Ruddles Brewery Ltd. Close links can also be seen with the opening of a joint bank account with Everards Ltd. This was to handle monies arising from the licensing and de-licensing of properties.

In 1900, they seem to have resolved their property ownership in the town and they were only shown at Upper Charnwood Street. The 1900 AGM on 28th June, saw a 15% dividend and a further £8,000 to reserves. However, the following year the March trade was some 314 barrels down.

In 1903 Thomas Buffey was appointed as the secretary on £4 per week and WG Turner, some 11 years in office, was presumably able to reduce some of his workload as a result. Further change came from the death of Frederick Bates in the October, with T Crick taking his place as vice-chairman.

In 1904, the Board considered its relative position in terms of the excise paid for the year end in April:-

• Everards Ltd £30,671
• Leicester Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd £24,551
• Sharpe's Sileby Brewery Ltd £11,702
• Welch Brothers £ 7,458
• All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd £12,600

The amounts were presumably based on the barrelage which each of the local brewers was selling and give a handy guide to their differing levels of output.

Sir Carne Rasch died in 1908 and WG Turner, the MD, became the chairman. Nevertheless, the year end for the twelve months to 31st May showed a profit of £20,989, giving a 10% dividend and £10,409 to the reserves. The following year brought the death of Edgar W Beale, the brewer.

In 1909, they were brewing IPA, probably to counteract the popularity of Burton beers, which had already caused Everards to move their brewing to the town. They were also paying commission to Bass, presumably for bottling their beer.

In 1912 wages at the brewery were increased to 18s per week and the following year, they set a minimum of 20s per week. January 1914 saw the investment of £2,500 on further alterations at the brewery. Despite this investment, they were still facing competition, but they decided to hold the gravity of their beers and to try brewing a stout at 27lbs. The latter decision was presumably to counteract growing sales of Guinness. In May Mr Bishell retired; unfortunately his retirement was short-lived, since he died in the October. In December, as a result of the impact of wartime restrictions, the gravity of the beers was again reduced. The following year, a sign of the times was the consideration of using CO2 with the bottled beer.

In March 1916 there were more problems with the wartime restrictions on output and in May Mr Barrett the brewer was called up. October saw further restrictions on barley. Then on 14th April 1917, the All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd directors decided to close their own brewery and to buy their beer in from LB&M. In addition, Welch Brothers had also decided to have their supplies brewed by LB&M (see entry). This resolved any capacity problems at the Eagle Brewery. At the same time, the gravity of the beers was reduced from 40 to 30 i.e. 1040º to 1030º.

The end of the war brought hopes of a return to prosperity, which were somewhat tempered by the death of Mr Bishell. In 1919, as an indicator of the previous policy regarding the pubs, the freehold properties were valued at £207,000, with a mortgage of £15,000. The price of the beer was raised from 102/- to 108/-. In terms of the raw materials, like most British breweries, they were buying raw materials from abroad, e.g. 1,000 quarters of Californian barley at 96/- per quarter. This was linked not simply to price, but the need to brew different styles of beer for bottling.

In 1920, £75,000 of the reserve funds was capitalised by the issue of 15,000 £5 shares, on the basis of 1 for every £10 ordinary share held. The ordinary share capital was increased to £100,000, by the creation of 20,000 £5 shares. The EGM on 23rd February meant that the business was now valued at £300,000. This was linked to the purchase of Welch Brothers’ houses and casks. HR Welch, living at Oadby, received 3,200 ordinary shares and became a director, whilst Arthur received 1800. In line with previous policy, Welch’s five country houses were sold for £5,450.

No doubt as a result of the changes to the capital and the previous discussions, an amalgamation with the All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd was discussed. Tantalisingly, the July minutes state that Mr Ruddle’s scheme was explained, but there is no clarification of what this probable further rationalisation entailed! The following year, there was mention of a 25% discount to Ruddles Brewery Ltd, so presumably the scheme may have involved the planned closure of the Langham brewery. On the plus side, the October meeting approved the introduction of stronger beer, as the wartime limitations were put to one side.

In the November, there were further alterations to the brewery and maltings, including the construction of a garage. Earlier in the year they had sold all their horses and carts. A sadder construction was that of a memorial to the three men killed in the war, Messrs Bryan, Hood and Matthews.

In 1921 they were trying light beer in bottle, but the September meeting noted that the bottled trade was bad. However around this time, even the Burton brewers were having difficulty with their product.

Despite the worries, 1922 saw the purchase of the Old Cheese on Abbey Street for £3,000, this was in-line with the policy of concentrating on a local trade. This meant that the company now owned 100 houses. There was additional investment in the form of a yeast press for £2,500, refrigerator at £220 and a cask injector for £34.

In 1923 EF Bates died and Thomas Buffey became a director, joined by HH Bates. The following year Thomas Irwin Bishell also joined the Board. In October they were looking at tenders for rebuilding the new brewery, they also sold off their stock of 9 gallon casks. The Board voted £6,700 for work at the brewery, which was expected to be completed the following year. This was partly financed by All Saints Brewery Co. (Leicester) Ltd, who agreed to pay another £20 per month.

In 1925 the extension was completed but £1,009 over budget. WG Turner was the Chairman and MD, with T Buffey as the Company Secretary. Captain AFJ Roberts-George, the son-in-law of Mr Turner, was attending meetings. They were turning to imports again, with 2,000 quarters of Californian barley; not surprising given the price had fallen to 47/-.

In the April, Bass & Company were selling 19 country houses, but none were bought, in line with previous policy. They also decided against buying any of the properties of the Brackley Brewery which were available.

In June 1926 AE Barratt was the brewer on a salary initially of £360 pa rising to £420, with commission on the profits. In September 1927 Throne Crick died. Two years later, CE Saunders, previously the brewer, died.

The friendly nature of the industry could be seen in the donation of £100 to help with WL Everard’s aeroplane. In October 1930 they gave £13 12s 6d for a wedding present for Ken Ruddle. However, the money did come from the charity account, which might unintentionally give an insight into how they viewed their rivals.

In 1931, the Board were looking at the estate in terms of the previous policy of rationalisation. In 1890, they had started with 49 freehold and 63 leasehold, giving a total of 112 properties. Now they had 103 houses, of which only 3 were country properties. These were made up of 25 of the original freeholds and 7 leaseholds, together with 71 which were entirely new to the business. Around this time, Roberts-George was running the business.

The 1936 listing shows the address as 51 Charnwood Street. HR Welch was the chairman, AFJ Roberts-George the MD and T Buffey the Secretary. There was further work on the brewery in 1938.

The war years saw mixed benefits for the business. In 1941 Major TI Bishell was the Chairman, whilst Roberts-George was the MD. The following year, Lt Col Bishell was away on active service and Herbert Henry Bates was the Chairman. The latter was an engineer living at Teddington. However, the war provided increased sales to servicemen. The June Profit & Loss account showed £46,848, of which £10,788 was carried forward. There was also a large credit at the bank. Nevertheless, the business paid a price, when RL Martin, the Company Secretary was injured in a flying accident in March 1943. Worse was to follow, when Mr Bishell was killed in action in October 1944.

The 1945 investment, in a duplicate bottling line from Messrs Worrsam for £8,500 and a new washing machine for the mineral water stores at £600, represented the changing times and markets. However, the year after, they also bought a new cask washer and had the fermenting vessels copper-lined. RL Martin was able to re-join the business.

In March 1947, they were advertising for the post of assistant brewer. There were 20 applicants and G Noble was appointed on an initial salary of £900, rising to £1,000 in the second year. The Head Brewer at this time received just under £2,000, with a commission related to profits. That year they were paying 20% dividend on the ordinary shares. This was in addition to £20,000 to the reserves, £18,500 for deferred repairs and £15,800 carried forward. They had come out of the war in a relatively healthy financial position, allowing further investment of £5,291 for new plant in the bottling stores.

In October 1948, there was concern at the general fall in trade, although they were still making 20% dividends. In June 1949, there were still problems with trade, but these were put down to the continuing high levels of duty. Unfortunately, things worsened with the death of the Head Brewer Mr Barrett in the October and a heavy decrease in trade. It seems that Mr Noble moved up to become the Head Brewer. Still, the Board were optimistic for the future, as evidenced by the purchase of a 120 barrel pressure copper for £2,875, plus £1,550 buildings costs and for four fermenting vessels to be copper-lined at a cost of £1,237. However, there were delays with installing the new copper, because of problems with obtaining a building licence and it was May 1950 before the licence was granted. At least by this time, there had been some improvement in trade, although profits were down at £46,896. RL Martin was forced to retire as a result of his wartime injuries.

In March 1951, the Board decided to take a close look at the costings. Nevertheless, the following month they approved a new colour scheme for all their houses and in May the new copper was said to be working well. Profits for the year were up slightly at £47,076, although one director voted against the payment of a 13% dividend, and there was slight improvement in trade in July. There were still staffing problems on the brewing side, with a re-application for the position of assistant brewer. Eventually, a G Bodger from Worcester was appointed. His salary was £650, rising to £700 and the initial appointment was for six months. Both the amount and the contract were down from the appointment of four years previously, which did not bode well for the future.

In November 1951, the Board was looking to buy new mineral water plant and also to sell mineral waters to the free trade. However, “draught beer still showed a decline” and they were also considering dropping out of the Brewers’ Society.

The following year saw profits down at £43,639 and an EGM on 22nd July 1952 agreed the sale of the business to Ansells Brewery Ltd and the payments to the directors for their loss of office. Ansells Brewery Ltd in looking at the business produced an adverse report on the barley and malt. The MD stated that he had previously told the Head Brewer, that he was not to buy Kenyan barley, nor home farm dried. In fact 75% of the UK purchases had been home dried, with consequent problems for germination. The Board interviewed Mr Noble and suggested that he was a good brewer but a poor judge of barley. He received £2,500 compensation for loss of office.

Ansells Brewery Ltd had bought 140 licensed premises, but perhaps because of the problems with the beer, they promptly closed the brewhouse, although they used the bottling plant and store until the early 1960s. One of the simpler changes was that, from the take-over, the minutes were typed rather than hand-written, perhaps showing the different style of the new management.

AE Wiley replaced HH Bates as the Chairman and W Scott became a Director in place of Captain AFJ Roberts-George. They were joined by AE Norris and JA Gopsill joint Secretaries, presumably Ansell nominees. Geoffrey M Barnett remained as a consultant to the new owners.

In September 1956, the freehold properties were sold to Ansells Brewery Ltd for £888,882, with the money left as an unsecured loan to them. The last entry in the minute books was for 12th January 1959, and the business was wound up soon after this date.

The brewery buildings on Upper Charnwood Street remain, with the dates of various extensions on the wall and an Eagle over the Vulcan Road entrance. They are now occupied by motor engineers. The Eagle motif can also be found on the Belgrave Hotel on Loughborough Road.

The rebuilt Rainbow and Dove is still trading.