Ansells Brewery Ltd Small Rectangular Aluminium

Ansells Brewery Ltd aluminium tray dating from the 1950s.

Creation of a Famous Birmingham Brewery

Joseph Ansell, an ex brewer, and subsequent hop merchant and maltster, opened a new brewery and maltings on Park Road, Aston Cross, Birmingham in 1857. The site was purposely selected for its proximity to an artesion well.
In 1867, sons William and Edward Ansell, joined their father in partnership, and the firm traded as Joseph Ansell & Sons from 1877.
The Aston Brewery, with 388 licensed houses, was originally registered as Joseph Ansell & Sons Ltd in 1889 but was re-registered as Ansells Brewery Ltd in 1901.
In the years between 1890 to 1906, the brewery was extended on three occasions.

The Growth Years

The Company's slogan, 'The Better Beer', was created in the 1920s.
During the 1920s and 1930s Ansells growth was a direct result of the acquisition of a number of small, medium, and large local breweries.
Rushton's Lion Brewery, with 100 public houses based in Aston, was acquired in 1923, followed by Lucas & Co. Ltd of Leamington Spa, with 124 tied houses, in 1928.
The Holt Brewery Co. Ltd, with 250 public houses, was purchased in 1934, and the Company immediately adopted Holt's famous red squirrel trademark. Holt's brewery based in Gosta Green, Birmingham, was not closed until 1974.
In 1936, the Company acquired Thomas Plant & Co. Ltd of Netherton with 63 tied houses.
In the 1950s Ansells purchased two further breweries less local to Aston, including Welsh brewer, Lloyd's (Newport) Ltd.
Its final acquisition was the Leicester Brewing & Malting Co. Ltd in 1952, with 140 public houses. Brewing continued in Newport until 1961, and bottling continued in Leicester until 1960.
The rebuilding and modernisation of the Aston Brewery began in the 1930s but was interrupted by WWII and was not fully completed until the 1950s.

Trouble in the Modern Era

Ansells Brewery Ltd, and its Aston Brewery, merged with Ind Coope Ltd and Tetley Walker Ltd in 1961. Ansells estate alone totalled 1,088 tied houses at the time of the merger. The newly merged Company was later renamed Allied Breweries Ltd in 1963.
Allied Breweries Ltd merged with the J.Lyons Group in 1978 becoming Allied-Lyons plc. The Aston Brewery was closed in 1981 after continued and lengthy strikes by its workforce.
All brewing was transferred to Burton-on-Trent with the loss of 700 jobs in Birmingham.
The brewery was demolished and is now a car showroom.