Joseph Holt Ltd Deep Round Tin

Joseph Holt Ltd tin tray dating from the 1970s. Joseph Holt began brewing in 1849 at premises in the Northern Quarter of central Manchester. The Holt family took over the Ducie Bridge Brewery on York Street in 1855 to brew ales and porters. In 1860 Joseph took out a 999 year lease on a piece of land on Empire Street, Cheetham, on which he built his new Derby Brewery. In 1882 the running of the brewery was passed to Joseph's son, Edward. Joseph died in 1886. Under Edward's leadership the Company expanded quickly and by 1899 it owned 42 public houses. In 1901 a new bottling plant was installed to bottle Holt's Bitter, Dublin Stout, and Burton Ale. The Company was registered as Joseph Holt Ltd in 1922. After running the brewery for 46 years, Sir Edward Holt died in 1928 and control passed to his second son, Edward. In 1951 Holt's became a public company. In 1960 one of Holt's pubs, the King William IV in Salford, was closed, however the bar fitting was salvaged and was installed at the Rovers Return, a setting used by Coronation Street. In 1968 one of Sir Edward's nephews, Peter Kershaw, took over as Chairman. Under his leadership in the 1970s, the Derby Brewery was both updated and expanded. Production capacity was increased by 50%. In 1980 Peter's son Richard joined the business, and in 1985 he became Managing Director. With high demand for Holt's beers, the brewery was expanded again in 1992, increasing capacity by another 50%. In 2000 the Company was taken back into private ownership, with Richard as CEO. When Richard's daughter, Jenny Kershaw, joined the business in 2017, she became the 6th generation descendant. Holt's owns 127 and its beers remain the cheapest in Britain.