Tennant Brothers Ltd Round Chrome

Tennant Brothers Ltd chrome tray dating from the 1950s.

The Exchange Brewery Origins

The first Exchange Brewery was established on the site of Market Place, Sheffield, by Samuel Proctor in 1820. The business traded as Proctor & Co.
The business was acquired by Edward and Robert Tennant in 1840, and they were joined by Thomas Moore in 1843. At the time of his arrival the firm was struggling financially.
Thomas was instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the business, and it was he who was responsible for the building of a new Exchange Brewery at Lady's Bridge on Bridge Street, in 1853.
After the move to Bridge Street the business began to prosper.
When Edward died Robert Tennant and Thomas Moore ran the firm.
Robert died in 1866 and his son Robert James Tennant became the dominant partner in the business.
Both Robert Tennant and Thomas Moore died in 1880 leaving Robert's widow to run the Company.
She was instrumental in turning the business into a public company.

Tennant Brothers Ltd Registration

In 1882 the business was registered as Tennant Brothers Ltd.
The Company gained a reputation for the quality of its ales, and towards the end of the 19th century it was awarded numerous brewing medals, and expansion began.
Throughout its history Tennants acquired six breweries;
The Don Brewery of A.H.Smith & Co. Ltd of Sheffield with 108 public houses in 1915, Strout's Brewery Co. Ltd of Sheffield with 78 public houses in 1918, The Moorhead Brewery of Berry & Co. Ltd of Sheffield with 78 public houses in 1923, the Nottingham Brewery Ltd with 187 public houses in 1944, Clarkson's Old Brewery (Barnsley) Ltd with 61 public houses, and Worksop & Retford Ltd with 192 public houses in 1959.

Whitbread & Co. Ltd Takeover

The size of the business made it a perfect target for a larger company.
The Exchange Brewery was acquired by Whitbread & Co. Ltd with 700 public houses in 1961.
It became known as Whitbread East Pennines until its closure in 1993.
The buildings were converted into offices.

The manufacturer's mark simply states - Made In England