Vaux & Associated Breweries Ltd Round Tin

Vaux & Associated Breweries Ltd tin tray dating from the 1950s.

The Vaux Family

Cuthbert Vaux became involved with the brewing industry in 1806, but he did not buy his first brewery, on Matlock Street in Sunderland, until 1837.
The success of the business resulted in a move to a new site on Union Street in 1844.
With the attraction of new rail access, Cuthbert moved his brewing operations to Castle Street in 1875.
The firm traded as Vaux and Sons, described as 'brewers, maltsters and wine & spirit merchants'.
The Company was registered as C.Vaux & Sons Ltd in 1896.

C.Vaux & Sons Ltd Expansion

The 1920s saw continued expansion.
In 1923 it acquired the Norton Grange Brewery of John Heslop Ltd, and partially acquired Robinson Brothers of Houghton-le-Spring, in 1925.
C.Vaux & Sons Ltd merged with North Eastern Breweries Ltd, with about 200 public houses, in 1927, to form Vaux & Associated Breweries Ltd, becoming one of the most significant breweries in the North East of England.
The Wear Brewery, once owned by Bramwell & Co., before becoming part of North Eastern Breweries Ltd, ceased brewing in 1936, but continued malting until its closure in 1942.

Vaux Associated Breweries Ltd

Expansion continued unabated into the 1930s, through the 1940s, and into the early 1950s.
The Company acquired Berwick Breweries Ltd, with two breweries and 78 public houses, in 1937. Brewing immediately ceased at both breweries, however bottling continued at the Tweedmouth Brewery until 1950.
Ridley, Cutter & Firth Ltd, with 14 public houses, was purchased in 1938.
Before the Second World War, the Company acquired the Coldstream Brewery Co. Ltd, in 1943, its first Scottish purchase.

Further Acquisitions after the Second World War

Lorimer & Clark Ltd became Vaux's second Scottish acquisition in 1946.
In 1947 it purchased Whitwell, Mark & Co. Ltd of Kendal with 30 tied houses. Brewing continued there until 1968.
Hepwoth & Co. Ltd of Ripon, with 47 public houses, was also acquired in 1947.
During the 1950s a further three Scottish breweries were acquired.
Thomas Usher & Son Ltd, with 170 public houses, and Steel, Coulson & Co. Ltd, with 16 tied houses, based in Edinburgh, were both purchased in 1959. Ushers continued to brew, eventually being sold to Allied Breweries Ltd in 1980.
Vaux's final Scottish purchase was that of John Wright & Co. (Perth) Ltd in 1961.

Vaux Breweries Ltd

Vaux's also attempted to gain a slice of the Belgian market, purchasing Liefman's Brewery in the early 1970s, eventually selling it off in 1985.
After the acquisition of Sheffield brewers S.H.Ward & Co. Ltd , with 102 public houses, in 1972, the name of the Company was changed to Vaux Breweries Ltd the following year.
Another attempt to penetrate a foreign market also failed when, in 1981, the Fred Koch Brewery based in New York, USA, was bought by Vaux Breweries Ltd. The experiment lasted three years,
The final acquisition occurred when W.M.Darley Ltd, with 88 public houses, was purchased in 1978 and closed in 1986.
By the 1990s the Vaux Group had expanded into hotels and, despite the brewing business being profitable, and an offer of a management buy-out, in 1999 the Board accepted advice from a corporate financier to close both breweries in Sunderland and Sheffield. Sadly Sir Paul Nicholson lost his battle to save Vaux's brewing history.
The decision caused shockwaves around Wearside, the North East and in South Yorkshire.
The Company refocussed its business on its hotels, restaurants and pubs, and was renamed the Swallow Group plc.
In 2000 the Whitbread Group purchased the business and a major rebranding exercise was undertaken, eliminating any final evidence of Vaux's previous history.
Sadly its famous beers such as Samson Bitter and Double Maxim disappeared.
After many years laying derelict, the Castle Street Brewery site has now been redeveloped by Sunderland City Council.
The iconic Vaux brand was relaunced in 2019 and a small new micro brewery and tap room, based on Monk Street in Sunderland, opened in 2021.

The manufacturer's mark states - Reginald Corfield Ltd Lombard Road. London. S.W.19.