Phipps & Co. Ltd Square Tin

Phipps & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the 1950s.

The Phipps Family

Pickering Phipps started brewing in Towcester in 1801.
in 1817 a wharf and a newly built brewhouse by the River Nene on Bridge Street in Northampton were put up for sale.  Pickering Phipps took on the lease and converted the building into his second brewery.
In 1824 the firm was trading as Phipps, Pickering & Sons brewers and maltsters, his sons Edward, Richard and Thomas having joined their father.
Pickering Phipps died in 1830.
By 1840 the business was trading as Richard & Thomas Phipps but Richard died soon afterwards leaving Thomas in sole charge of the family brewery.
In 1843 Thomas brought in 16 year old Pickering junior and he was joined later by Richard junior.
Thomas died in 1858 and the business began trading as Pickering and Richard Phipps & Co.
The second Pickering Phipps led the business through a period of growth.
In 1868 a new five story brewery was built on the same site which significantly increased brewing capacity.
A new brewhouse was built on Towcester High Street in 1874 and this also added to its capacity.

Pickering Phipps & Co. (Northampton & Towcester Breweries) Ltd Registration

After the retirement of Richard junior, the Company was registered as Pickering Phipps & Co. (Northampton & Towcester Breweries) Ltd. in 1881.
The third Pickering Phipps became a director of the firm alongside many of his uncles and cousins.
In 1888 the Company built grand new offices on Gold Street in Northampton.
In 1899 the Company purchased Ratliff & Jeffrey Ltd of Northampton with its Albion Brewery and 135 tied houses.
By the end of the 19th century the Company had become the largest brewer in the Midlands.
In 1902 the Towcester Brewery was destroyed by a fire and was finally closed in 1905.
Early in the 1900s the business also suffered from water issues which affected the quality of its ales. In addition, personnel problems, including fraud, and internal management disagreements, caused financial decline.

Acquistions in the 20th Century

After the First World War business improved, aided by the takeover of Hipwell & Co. of Olney with 20 public houses.
In 1933 the Company acquired local Northampton competitor T.Manning & Co. Ltd with its Castle Brewery and 43 public houses.
At an AGM in 1939 the business name was changed to P.Phipps & Co. Ltd removing reference to its Towcester connections.
The Company's final acquistion was Campbell Praed & Co. Ltd of Wellingborough with 107 public houses in 1954.

Phipps Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd, Watney Mann Ltd Takeover

Phipps & Co. Ltd merged with the Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd in 1957 and was renamed Phipps Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd, but on advertising material it was always shown as Phipps NBC.
The merged Company's estate totalled 1131 tied houses, 711 from Phipps and 420 from NBC.
In 1960, London based brewer Watney Mann Ltd was successful in its bid to takeover Phipps Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd.
In 1964 the Company name was shortened to Phipps' Brewery Ltd.
By 1968 the brewing of all traditional draught ales was discontinued and the Company was renamed Watney Mann (Midlands) Ltd.
Watney Mann Ltd was acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd in 1972 and the Bridge Street Brewery closed in 1974 with most of the original brewery being demolished. The Phoenix Brewery once owned by Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd was closed and demolished in 1973.
A modern lager brewery was built on the Bridge Street site by Carlsberg UK Ltd.
The Phipps' brand name was re-introduced when part of Ratliff & Jeffrey Ltd's old Albion Brewery was renovated and brewing commenced in 2014.