Ushers Brewery Founders
Ushers was founded in 1824, when Thomas Usher and his wife Hannah acquired a small brewery in Back Street, Trowbridge, renaming it Usher’s Wiltshire Brewery. Thomas Usher’s success was hard-earned. From their home, known as the Brewery Tap on Back Street, they witnessed a steady rise in trade and clientele.
Despite the growing popularity, the family’s prayer meetings took precedence, with the inner doors remaining closed to all patrons, who patiently waited. Furthermore, Hannah Usher strictly supervised the drinking, decisively cutting off customers she deemed had enough. Faith was very important to the Usher family and was reflected in every aspect of their business. Clad in the breeches, stockings, and top hat, Thomas Usher’s day began early, around 3 a.m., with the brewing process. Remarkably, after finishing at the brewery around midday, he wouldn’t hesitate to walk to Bath for his business dealings.
The Line continues
In 1869 Thomas and Hannah retired from the business aged 77 and 69 respectively, and their sons, Ephram, Simeon and Jacob took over the business. The business becomes a Limited Company in 1889 with Jacob as the first Chairman of the Board. The Usher family was to retain its connection with the Company until 1941 when T.C. Usher, grandson of the founder, retired.
In 1890 Ushers acquire sovereign Brewery in Bayswater (London) showing that the company is growing in size and popularity. This further seen by the purchase of a further 6 companies between 1914 and 1920. The company had their own fire engine and staff to man it and this team became a great boon to the town – woollen cloth factories are unfortunately vulnerable to fires and the town suffered bomb damage during the Second World War.
By the Second World War the company had acquired 15 independent breweries and their associated pubs and in 1945 they took over Conigre House and gardens and the Liberal Club enabling it to double the scale of its brewery and bottling plant. They also moved in to Parade House immediately after the war, along with No 71 and Arlington House. These properties backed on to the old brewery site on Back Street.
Watney Mann era
In 1960, Watney Mann acquired Ushers, and the combined breweries’ assets included two brewery sites and 900 pubs. They dropped the name ‘Ushers’ in 1970, becoming Watney Mann (West Ltd), but reverted to Ushers by 1980.
A 1991 law limited the number of pubs per brewery, introducing the ‘pubs for brewery swap.’ This presented the first signs of a threat to Ushers’ continued operation. In 1992, the brewery installed new equipment and began working with 460 pubs.
The brewery started to decline in 1995 and closed by 2000. Punch Taverns bought the residual pub operator company, renamed Innspired Pubs plc, in September 2004. North Korea’s Taedonggang Brewery purchased the brewery equipment for £1.5 million and rebuilt it brick by brick.
