Watney Mann Ltd

Watney Mann Ltd

Formed in 1958 by the merger of: Watney, Combe, Reid & Co. Ltd and Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd.

In 1974, they were taken over by Grand Metropolitan Hotels, and the Watney-Mann company was merged with Trumans Ltd from October 1974.

Takeover and closure trail (to 1974):

• Acquired Tamplin & Sons Ltd in 1953 with 400 houses.

• Merged with Usher's Wiltshire Brewery Ltd with their approx. 900 houses in May 1960.

• Amalgamated with Wilsons Brewery Ltd of Manchester in August 1960 with 1,124 houses.

• Phipps Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd (see Phipps & Co. Ltd) were also acquired in 1960 with 1,171 houses. Ceased brewing in 1972 to be replaced by the modern Calsberg brewery.

• The three Norwich breweries of Morgan's Brewery Co. Ltd, Bullard & Sons Ltd and Steward & Patteson Ltd were acquired in 1983.

• Drybrough & Co. Ltd of Edinburgh were acquired in 1965 with 441 houses. The brewery was then sold to Allied-Lyons in January 1987 with 187 tied houses and brewing ceased there in the same month.

• Beverley Brothers Ltd of Wakefield were acquired in March 1967 with 173 public houses and brewing ceased October 1968.

• Steward & Patteson's Ely brewery (see Arthur & Bertram Hall Ltd) was closed in 1969.

• In 1972, they acquired Samuel Webster & Sons Ltd of Halifax with 288 houses.