Joseph Holt Ltd Deep Round Tin

Joseph Holt Ltd tin tray dating from the 1970s.

Jospeh Holt

After working as a young man at the Strangeway Brewery, Joseph Holt began brewing in 1849 at premises on Oak Street in the Northern Quarter of central Manchester.
The Holt family took over the Ducie Bridge Brewery on York Street in 1855 to brew ales and porters.
In 1860 Joseph took out a 999 year lease on land on Empire Street in Cheetham, on which he built his new Derby Brewery.
In 1861 Joseph purchased his first public house, the Wellington Hotel in Eccles.
In the 1880s Holt's water well was considerably deepened to cope with increasing demand for its beers.
After working in the brewery with his father Joseph since 1875, the running of the brewery was passed to Edward Holt.
Joseph died in 1886.
Under Edward's leadership the Company expanded quickly and by 1899 it owned 42 public houses and employed 60 people.
In 1901 a new bottling plant was installed to bottle its own Bitter, Dublin Stout for Guinness, and Burton Ale for Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton Ltd.

Joseph Holt Ltd

The Company was registered as Joseph Holt Ltd in 1922.
After running the brewery for 46 years, Sir Edward Holt died in 1928 and control passed to his second son, Edward.
In 1951 Holt's was floated becoming Joseph Holt PLC.
In 1960 one of Holt's pubs, the King William IV in Salford, was closed, however the bar fittings were salvaged and installed at the Rovers Return, a setting used by the television show Coronation Street.
After his death in 1968, one of Sir Edward's nephews, Peter Kershaw, took over as Chairman.
Under his leadership in 1977, the Derby Brewery was both updated and expanded. Production capacity was increased by 50%.
In 1980 Peter's son, Richard Kershaw, joined the business and in 1985 he became Managing Director.
With high demand for Holt's beers, the brewery was expanded again in 1992, increasing its capacity by another 50%.

The Modern Era

In 1999 the Company celebrated 150 years as a family business.
In 2000 the Company was taken back into private ownership, with Richard as its CEO.
In the same year Peter Kershaw died at the age of 85.
In 2011 the firm's 'Crystal Gold Lager' won gold at the International Brewing Awards, followed with another gold for its 'Diamond Lager' in 2013, and it a third for its 'Black' in 2015. This was clear recognition of the quality of Holt's beers.
The Horse & Jockey, with its microbrewery, was purchased in 2012.
When Richard's daughter, Jenny Kershaw, joined the business in 2017, she became the 6th generation descendant and in 2019 she was awarded 'Brewer of the Year' as voted by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling'. Between 2017 and 2024 Holt's were awarded three more gold medals at the International Brewers' Exhibitions.
Andrew Kershaw joined his father and sister at the firm in 2019.
Holt's owns 127 public houses and its beers remain some of the cheapest in Britain.