W.& R.Wilkins Ltd Round Tin

W.& R.Wilkins Ltd tin tray dating from the early 1950s.

The Wilkins Family

In the early 1800s Thomas Wilkins, and his wife Ellen Southworth, were inn-keepers at the Golden Ball in Longton near Preston, where they brewed their own beer.
In 1804 Thomas Wilkins founded his own maltings business with his brother-in-law, John Southworth, near to the Golden Ball in Longton.
He also built a reservoir for water supplies essential for brewing.
In 1817 the business was thriving and employed 12 men.
By 1827 Wilkins and Southworth were by far the largest suppliers of malt, together with a small quantity of hops, to the Farrington family estate in Leyland.
A smaller brewery Company called Pye's was also established a little further down Marsh Lane in Longton.
When Thomas died in 1842, Pye's brewery was taken over by his two sons, William Wilkins and Richard Wilkins.
The firm traded as W. & R.Wilkins.
William died in 1875 leaving Richard and his son, Thomas Richard Wilkins to run the business.
After 1882 when Longton Bridge station on the newly constructed West Lancashire Railway, connected Preston to Southport, Wilkins took advantage of this new supply route. It marked a period for expansion.
In 1885 Richard died and Thomas Richard Wilkins inherited the brewery.
In 1886 Thomas Wilkins registered the firm's trade mark of two mirrored 'W's.
A fire engulfed the brewery in 1896 causing damage to some of the buildings. This was not enough to stop trading and by the 1920s the Company was extremely profitable and owned 20 tied houses.
Profits from the business resulted in the Wilkins becoming a very wealthy family and they owned a considerable amount of land in the area.
Thomas Richard Wilkins died in 1927 and his son, also named Thomas, continued to run the brewery until his death.

W. & R.Wilkins Ltd Registration

After Thomas died in 1937 the Company was registered as W. & R.Wilkins Ltd.
Thomas's son, Geoffrey, was the last Wilkins to run the business until 1952 when the brewery, with 8 public houses, was acquired by Groves & Whitnall Ltd of Salford.
Brewing ceased but Groves & Whitnall Ltd continued to operate on the site as maltsters and bottlers.
It was acquired by Greenall Whitley & Co. Ltd in 1961 and the Company ceased trading in 1972.

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