Soulby, Sons & Winch Ltd Oval Black Backed Steel

Soulby, Sons & Winch Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the 1910s.

Soulby's Breweries in New Bollingbroke and Coningsby

Edward Harding Soulby was a brewer and maltster who, along with his younger brother John Cooke Soulby, traded as E.H.Soulby & Co. in New Bollingbroke, Lincolnshire, in the 1840s.
By 1851 Edward had moved to Coningsby where he traded as a brewer, maltster and brickmaker.
John took his own life in 1854.

The Anchor Brewery in Alford

After selling his Bollingbroke brewery, Edward purchased a small brewery and maltings from Thomas Bradley on West Street, Alford, in 1869. Edward immediately built a new five storey Anchor Brewery on the same site that year. Another malthouse was purchased six miles from Alford, in Partney.
By 1870 Edward's sons, Edward and Frederick, had become partners in the business and the firm traded as E.H.Soulby & Sons.
Edward died in 1890 leaving his sons to run the business which included the Anchor Brewery in Alford, a maltings at Partney, and branches in Coningsby and Boston.
In 1896 Frederick became the second Soulby family member to commit suicide leaving Edward as sole owner of the business.
Unable to cope after his brother's death, Edward merged with T.M.Winch & Co., brewers in Louth.

Soulby, Sons & Winch Ltd Registration

The new Company was registered as Soulby, Sons & Winch Ltd with 83 public houses. The first Board of Directors consisted of a mix of Soulbys and Winchs.
After attempting to take his own life Edward was declared insane in 1897.
Despite the misfortune of Edward, Soulby, Sons & Winch Ltd became profitable within three years and it embarked on a strategy of expansion.
In 1899 it purchased a number of public houses from the Old Leake Brewery of George Henry Horton, and in 1900 it acquired the Phoenix Brewery of Bellamy & Ashton  of Sleaford with 12 public houses.
The Phoenix Brewery was closed immediately and the Louth Brewery was closed in 1902.
By 1907 the Soulby family lost control of the business and the Winch family became its sole owners.
During the 1920s the firm's best selling ale by far was XXX mild which accounted for 65% of its sales.
In 1945 a serious fire destroyed part of the brewery tower, its roof, and some equipment.
Despite this setback, the business profits during the 1940s were buoyant.
After record profits in 1949, trading in 1950 and 1951 proved difficult and the Company made losses in both years.

J.W.Green Ltd Takeover and Closure