W.B.Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd Square Tin

W.B.Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from 1965.

The Mew Family Brewing Business

Towards the end of the 18th century Benjamin Mew and his brother formed a brewing business which traded as Mew & Co. Brewers.
They owned two breweries and maltings in Newport and Lymington on the Isle of Wight. They also owned a few public houses.
In 1850 the Company was granted a Royal Warrant to supply Queen Victoria when she was in residence at Osborne House. The Newport operation was renamed the Royal Brewery.
The firm continued to supply the Royal Household until the death of George V in 1936.

W.B.Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd Registration

Additional capital was required to fund the growing business which came when Walter Langton joined the firm, and in 1887 it was registered as W.B.Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd. In 1893 a new modern malthouse was built and in 1898 a new mineral water factory was built on the same site.
The Company expanded by acquiring public houses for its estate, and in 1899 it purchased Henry Charles & Walter Sweetman's George Street Brewery in Ryde with 21 public houses.
In 1909 it started using boats to distribute its beers to the mainland.
During the First World War its beer quality suffered and much beer was unsaleable, however during the Second World War the firm brewed for six other companies.
In 1937 the Company was one of the first to produce screw topped canned beer, ideal for serving sailors based in Portsmouth particularly during the Second World War.

Post Second World War Trading & Whitbread & Co. Ltd Takeover

After 1945, the bottled beer store and bottling hall were rebuilt, and many of its public houses were upgraded.
In 1948 the Company commissioned a new sailing vessel named XXXX, after its award winning ale. This replaced a motor barge which had been used since 1920.
Mew Langton's bottled XXXX and Nut Ale won prizes at the Brewer's Exhibition at Olympia in 1960 and 1964 respectively.
In 1965 W.B.Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd merged with Strong & Co. of Romsey Ltd.
In 1966 the XXXX was decommissioned when the Company started using ferries to supply its beers to the mainland.
The Company, with 144 public houses, was taken over by Whitbread & Co. Ltd in 1969.
Brewing and bottling ceased at the Royal Brewery in Newport and the premises became a distribution centre.
In 1973 Whitbread Wessex Ltd built extensions to the bottled and draught beer storage area, and sited a new tobacco, wine and spirit warehouse at the old mineral water factory.
The site was sold to the council in the mid-1970s which left the brewery derelict.
The Royal Brewery burnt down in 1979 and was later redeveloped into modern accommodation.
The Lymington depot was sold by Whitbread & Co. Ltd in 1984.

There is no manufacturer's mark but the tray was known to be produced by Hancock, Corfield & Waller as this is the original "file copy" from that company and has a specific date inscribed on the back being B2200 5.3.65