Ushers of Trowbridge
Ushers of Trowbridge was a historic Wiltshire brewery and pub operator that traded from 1824 until its brewery closed in 2000.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Ushers of Trowbridge was a brewery and licensed-pub business based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. It began in 1824, when Thomas Usher and his wife, Hannah, acquired a small brewery in Back Street and renamed it Usher's Wiltshire Brewery. The enterprise developed from a local family partnership into one of the more substantial regional brewing and pub businesses in southern England. The Usher family expanded the business during the nineteenth century. Their three sons joined the partnership in 1844, while Thomas and Hannah retired from active involvement in 1869. A growing local following for the beers supported expansion, and in 1887 the company took over Fanshaw & Palmer of Donnington, Berkshire. The two businesses were combined through the registration of Usher's Wiltshire Brewery Ltd in 1889. Between the company's formation and the Second World War, it acquired approximately fifteen independent breweries and their associated public houses, building a sizeable estate alongside its brewing operations. After 1945, Ushers enlarged its Trowbridge facilities through the acquisition of Conigre House and its gardens, formerly used by the local Liberal Club. The site enabled the company to increase the scale of both brewing and bottling. In 1951, the company dropped the apostrophe from its registered name, becoming Ushers Wiltshire Brewery Ltd. In 1960, it accepted a takeover bid from Watney Mann. The combined assets included the Trowbridge brewery, a London brewery that was subsequently closed, and an estate of approximately 900 pubs. The business was renamed Ushers Brewers Ltd in 1964. Watney Mann later merged with Grand Metropolitan Hotels in 1972. A major restructuring occurred in 1991, when Roger North, managing director of Grand Met Brewing, led a management buyout. The reconstituted Ushers Brewers retained a portfolio of smaller pubs that Grand Metropolitan considered unsuitable for redevelopment. Under the holding company Innspired Pubs, the business began acquiring additional pubs to strengthen its distribution network. By March 1997, it owned 541 pubs and had floated on the London Stock Exchange, following an aborted flotation attempt in 1995. The public-company phase was brief. After a profit warning, North took Ushers private in December 1998 with financial backing from Alchemy Partners. The accounts for the year ending 31 October 1998 recorded operating profit of £6.3 million on brewery sales of £45.8 million, while the tenanted-pub division reported operating profit of £11.7 million on turnover of £27.9 million. The figures are historical and should not be treated as current financial information. Alchemy subsequently merged Ushers with the 250-pub Alehouse chain it had acquired in 1997. Differences emerged between North and Alchemy over the company's future direction, particularly the relative importance of brewing and branded beer compared with pub retailing. Robert Breare replaced North and advocated a clearer separation between brewing and retail operations. Although the Trowbridge brewery had an annual capacity of about 600,000 barrels, it was operating at approximately 70 percent of capacity. The brewery closed in 2000, ending Ushers' direct brewing operations. The residual pub operator was renamed Innspired Pubs plc and was acquired by Punch Taverns in September 2004. The former Trowbridge brewery site was later redeveloped for housing, including Ushers Apartments, and a Sainsbury's supermarket. The Usher name has continued in beer branding: beers using the name have subsequently been brewed by Wychwood Brewery for Refresh UK. Brewery equipment from Trowbridge was sold through a German broker to North Korea, where it became the basis of the Taedonggang brewery near Pyongyang. This equipment's later use gave the former Wiltshire brewery an unusual international legacy despite the closure of its original site.
History
Ushers of Trowbridge originated in 1824 when Thomas Usher and his wife, Hannah, acquired a small brewery in Back Street, Trowbridge. They renamed it Usher's Wiltshire Brewery and established the family business that later became known as Ushers. Their three sons entered the partnership in 1844, and the older couple retired in 1869. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the brewery's beers developed a strong local following and the company expanded its production and pub interests. The company's expansion accelerated with the acquisition of Fanshaw & Palmer of Donnington, Berkshire, in 1887. Two years later, Usher's Wiltshire Brewery Ltd was registered to bring the two operations together. From the company's formation until the Second World War, it acquired roughly fifteen independent breweries and their related public houses. These acquisitions gave Ushers both additional brewing capacity and a distribution network based on tied premises. After the war, Ushers acquired Conigre House and its gardens in Trowbridge, then occupied by the local Liberal Club. The property enabled the company to enlarge its brewery and bottling plant. In 1951, the registered name dropped the apostrophe and became Ushers Wiltshire Brewery Ltd. A takeover by Watney Mann followed in 1960. The transaction combined the Trowbridge operation, a London brewery that was later closed, and about 900 pubs. The company adopted the name Ushers Brewers Ltd in 1964. Watney Mann became part of the Grand Metropolitan group through a 1972 merger with Grand Metropolitan Hotels. In 1991, Roger North, then managing director of Grand Met Brewing, led a management buyout. The new Ushers Brewers retained smaller pubs that Grand Metropolitan regarded as too small or unsuitable for redevelopment. The company established Innspired Pubs as a holding structure and began adding pubs to create a stronger route to market. Its estate reached 541 pubs by March 1997, when the company floated on the London Stock Exchange after an earlier flotation attempt in 1995 had been abandoned. The listed phase ended after a profit warning. In December 1998 North took the company private with support from Alchemy Partners. Contemporary accounts for the year ending 31 October 1998 recorded brewery operating profit of £6.3 million on sales of £45.8 million, and tenanted-pub operating profit of £11.7 million on turnover of £27.9 million. Alchemy later combined Ushers with the 250 pubs of the Alehouse chain, which it had acquired in 1997. North and Alchemy disagreed about whether the business should continue to emphasize brewing and beer brands or move toward a more retail-focused model. North was replaced by Robert Breare, who favored a substantial separation between brewing and pub retailing. The Trowbridge brewery had an annual capacity of approximately 600,000 barrels but was operating at around 70 percent of that level. It closed in 2000. The remaining pub business was renamed Innspired Pubs plc and was bought by Punch Taverns in September 2004. The original Trowbridge site was subsequently redeveloped, including housing known as Ushers Apartments and a Sainsbury's supermarket. The former brewery also left an unusual international legacy. Its equipment was sold for £1.5 million to North Korea through German broker Uwe Oehms and became the core of the Taedonggang brewery outside Pyongyang. Beer using the Usher name has continued to be produced after the closure, with Wychwood Brewery brewing for Refresh UK. Thus, although Ushers ceased to exist as an independent brewer, its name survived through branded beer and local architectural and historical references.
- 2004
Punch Taverns acquires Innspired Pubs
[1]The residual pub operator was bought by Punch Taverns.
- 2000
Trowbridge brewery closes
[1]The brewery ceased production.
- 1998
The company returns to private ownership
[1]Following a profit warning, North took Ushers private with Alchemy Partners' backing.
- 1997
Public flotation
[1]The company floated on the London Stock Exchange after reaching 541 pubs.
- 1991
Management buyout
[1]Roger North led a management buyout and developed the Innspired Pubs holding structure.
- 1964
Company renamed Ushers Brewers Ltd
[1]The business adopted the Ushers Brewers Ltd name.
- 1960
Watney Mann takeover
[1]Ushers accepted a takeover bid from Watney Mann.
- 1951
The registered name loses its apostrophe
[1]The company became Ushers Wiltshire Brewery Ltd.
- 1889
Usher's Wiltshire Brewery Ltd is registered
[1]The registration combined the Trowbridge and Donnington operations.
- 1887
Fanshaw & Palmer is acquired
[1]Ushers took over Fanshaw & Palmer of Donnington, Berkshire.
Products and positioning
A regional English brewery whose identity was built around traditional beer production, a broad pub estate, and local distribution. In its later years, the business increasingly combined brewing with pub ownership before financial restructuring and the eventual separation and closure of the brewery.
Beer · 1824
Usher-branded beers
The central product category associated with Ushers was traditionally brewed beer produced at its Wiltshire facilities. The reference material does not identify a complete historical range of individual beer names or recipes. After the Trowbridge brewery closed, beer using the Usher name continued to be brewed by Wychwood Brewery for Refresh UK, preserving the brand as a beer label rather than as an independent brewing company.
Beer
Bottled beer
Ushers operated a bottling plant at its enlarged Trowbridge site after the Second World War. Bottling complemented draught distribution through the company's pub estate and allowed the brewery to sell packaged beer beyond its immediate tied-house network. Specific bottle formats and product names are not identified in the available reference material.
Licensed retail
Ushers public-house estate
Alongside brewing, Ushers built and operated a substantial estate of associated public houses. Acquisitions before the Second World War expanded the tied estate, while the Watney Mann takeover brought combined holdings of approximately 900 pubs. The later Innspired Pubs business reached 541 pubs by 1997 and ultimately became the pub-focused residual business acquired by Punch Taverns.
Brand decisions
2000
Closure of the Trowbridge breweryStrategyBackground
The brewery was operating below its approximately 600,000-barrel annual capacity.
Action taken
Direct brewing operations at Trowbridge were discontinued.
Aftermath
The former site was later redeveloped, while beer using the Usher name continued to be produced by Wychwood Brewery for Refresh UK.
1998
Take-private transaction and operating restructuringStrategyBackground
A profit warning preceded the decision to remove the company from public ownership. Alchemy Partners favored reducing the emphasis on brewing and brands, while Roger North opposed that direction.
Action taken
North took the company private with Alchemy Partners' backing. Alchemy then combined Ushers with the 250-pub Alehouse chain and replaced North with Robert Breare.
Aftermath
Breare promoted a stronger separation between brewing and retailing. The brewery later closed in 2000 while operating at approximately 70 percent of its stated 600,000-barrel annual capacity.
Historical operating profit and turnover. (Year ended 31 October 1998)
1997
London Stock Exchange flotationOtherBackground
The company had expanded its pub estate and had previously abandoned an attempted flotation in 1995.
Action taken
Innspired Pubs floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
The listed period ended the following year after a profit warning and a return to private ownership.
1991
Management buyout from Grand Met BrewingM&ABackground
Grand Metropolitan retained a group of smaller pubs that it considered too small or unsuitable for redevelopment.
Action taken
Roger North led a management buyout that reconstituted Ushers Brewers and placed the pub operations under the Innspired Pubs holding company.
Aftermath
Innspired Pubs began acquiring additional pubs and expanded its estate to 541 pubs by March 1997.
1960
Acceptance of the Watney Mann takeoverM&ABackground
Ushers had expanded from a family brewery into a regional brewer with multiple sites and a large pub estate.
Action taken
The company agreed to be acquired by Watney Mann.
Aftermath
The combined assets included the Trowbridge brewery, a London brewery that was later closed, and approximately 900 pubs. The business was renamed Ushers Brewers Ltd in 1964.
Recent events
- 2004
Innspired Pubs is acquired by Punch Taverns[1]
M&A
The residual pub operator, renamed Innspired Pubs plc, was acquired by Punch Taverns.
- 2000
Ushers brewery closes in Trowbridge[1]
Other
The Trowbridge brewery closed while operating below its stated annual capacity, ending the company's direct brewing operations.
- 1998
Ushers is taken private after profit warning[1]
Other
Following a profit warning, Roger North took the company private with backing from Alchemy Partners.
- 1997
Innspired Pubs floats on the London Stock Exchange[1]
Other
The company, operating through the Innspired Pubs holding structure, floated after building an estate of 541 pubs.
- 1991
Ushers Brewers undergoes management buyout[1]
M&A
Roger North led a management buyout that reconstituted Ushers Brewers and retained a portfolio of smaller pubs previously held by Grand Metropolitan.
- 1960
Ushers agrees to takeover by Watney Mann[1]
M&A
Ushers accepted a takeover bid from Watney Mann, bringing its brewery assets and approximately 900 pubs into the larger brewing group.
Former Ushers brewing equipment becomes part of Taedonggang brewery[1]
Other
Equipment from the former Trowbridge brewery was sold to North Korea through a German broker and became part of the Taedonggang brewery near Pyongyang.
Sources1 sources
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