Alton & Co. Ltd Showcard

Alton & Co. Ltd showcard dating from 1922. The business was founded by Thomas Lowe in Derby in 1788. The Wardwick Brewery was transferred by Thomas to his son, Charles Matthew Lowe, in 1828. In 1838, the brewery was acquired by Moreton Charles Wedge. The firm traded as M.C.Wedge until it was sold to William Alton and Edward Barnett in the 1850s. The business traded as Messrs Alton & Barnett (Successors to M.C.Wedge) until 1869 when the partnership was dissolved and William Alton became the sole owner. In 1873 George D'Arcy Clark joined William Alton as a partner in the business, and together they were responsible for considerable sales growth. The Company was registered in 1888 and re-registered as Alton & Co. Ltd in 1899, with 91 public houses. In 1895 the Company purchased the business of the Weall Brothers which was based on Ashbourne Road, in Derby. The last family member was Hepworth Tripolet Alton who died at a young age in 1903. As a result, the Wardwick Brewery was acquired by Stretton's Derby Brewery Ltd in 1903 with 154 tied houses. In addition to the Warwick Brewery and the Company's offices on the same site, Alton & Co. Ltd operated extensive maltings in Derby and Castle Donnington. Alton & Co. Ltd was run as a separate business until its closure in 1922. Some of the buildings on the Wardwick Brewery site survived until the 1960s.