Hopcraft & Norris Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

Hopcraft & Norris Ltd black backed steel tray dating from 1937.

Alfred Hopcraft a Banbury Brewer

The Brackley Brewery was founded by Alfred Hopcraft, listed as a Banbury brewer, in 1842.
Determined to operate his brewery in a business-like manner, Alfred employed Bevershaw Farmer, a professional brewer, to run the Brackley Brewery.
Alfred swiftly set about buying, or building, public houses and beer houses, to sell his beer.
Between 1859 to 1863 Alfred was also the landlord of the Wheatsheaf on Fish Street, in Banbury.
In 1857 George Crosby was advertsing himself as an agent for Alfred Hopcraft, who also ran a brewery on Fish Street, in Banbury.
By 1871 the Brackley Brewery was employing 50 men.
Upon the death of Alfred in 1873, both the Banbury and the Brackley breweries passed to his son John Hopcraft, who sadly died shortly afterwards.
The apppointed executors were George Crosby, and his son George the younger. The assumption is that both worked for Alfred at his Banbury brewery.
By 1886 George Crosby junior was a partner in the business.
Alfred's only surviving son, Ernest Hopcraft, became the sole proprietor of the brewery in 1890.
After a series of acquisitions, the business became known as the Brackley and Banbury Brewery but traded as A. & E.Hopcraft.

The Norris Family

In 1895, the wealthy Norris family from Bletchingley in Surrey, purchased a share in the business for their youngest son Walter H.Norris.
The Company, with 119 tied houses, was registered as Hopcraft & Norris Ltd in 1895.
Hopcraft & Norris Ltd retained a presence in Banbury until 1906.
In 1910, the Company purchased Walker & Soames of Long Buckby, with its Anchor Brewery, and 48 tied houses.
The site became one of Hopcraft & Norris's four distribution depots. The other depots were located in Aylesbury, Daventry and Banbury.
The brewery won a diploma and a medal at the 1913 Brewery and Allied Trades Exhibition in London.
In 1920 a fire destroyed much of the firm's bottling and cask filling areas.
By the 1940s, the time was right to sell the business.

Chesham & Brackley Breweries Ltd

Chesham Brewery Ltd merged with Hopcraft & Norris Ltd in 1946, and the business was registered as Chesham & Brackley Breweries Ltd. The Company's estate totalled 350 public houses.
The Nash family owned 75% of the shares, but Jimmy Norris became its figurehead chairman.
The Company was acquired by Taylor, Walker & Co Ltd in 1956.
Brewing ceased at Chesham in 1957, and at Brackley in 1959.
The old Hopcraft & Norris brewery was sold to Bromley's soaps.
Taylor, Walker & Co. Ltd was acquired by Ind Coope Ltd in 1959, which had also purchased Benskins Brewery Ltd of Watford. in 1957.
Ind Coope Ltd merged with Tetley Walker Ltd and Ansells Brewery Ltd in 1961, renamed Allied Breweries Ltd in 1963.
The Company's public houses were transferred to Benskin's Watford Brewery, by Allied in 1962.

The manufacturer's mark states - 'Hancor' Mitcham Made in England