New book by Horncastle man traces history of famous brewery in Alford
The history of a famous former brewery in Alford is toasted in a fascinating, new book, written by a man from Horncastle.
Soulby’s, which dates back 186 years, is one of eight beer-making businesses featured in ‘Brewing In Lincolnshire’ by Adam Cartwright, which is available to buy now.
The book brings to life some of the stories associated with the county’s historic breweries that are now, sadly, lost forever.
The well-researched account also includes more than 100 photos as 62-year-old Adam raises a glass to Lincolnshire’s rich and remarkable brewing heritage and discovers that many of the families who ran the businesses have intriguing backgrounds.
Adam was born in Boston but retired to Horncastle two years ago after a career in the civil service with HM Revenue and Customs.
Retirement gave him much more time to pursue research into, and writing about, local history, particularly that of breweries and railways.
He says: "I have always been interested in local history, and I am a member of several local history groups.
"I have been writing about industrial archaeology for many years, and this is my third book.
“I wanted to bring the brewing stories up to date, so you can also read about two of Lincolnshire’s craft breweries of the 21st century.
"The book is available in the Joseph Banks Centre at Horncastle and at The Book Fayre book shop in Woodhall Spa.”
‘Brewing In Lincolnshire’, a 96-page paperback, is also for sale on Amazon, which says: “The backgrounds of the families are peppered with deceit, tragedy and misfortune.
"Their stories also contain inspiration, humour and good luck, as well as some great beer along the way!
“Whether you want to know more about the history of your local pint, delve into the breweries of the past or are just curious about ultra-modern microbreweries, there’s something for everyone in this book.”
The tale that Adam unravels about Soulby’s of Alford – latterly Soulby, Sons and Winch – is as interesting as any. It traded for nearly 120 years before being swept away by the bigger, national companies of the industry in the 1950s.
Alford, of course, was also once home to the bustling Anchor Brewery and maltings, serving a tied estate of almost 200 pubs and providing employment for many local families.
Edward Soulby founded his business in New Bolingbroke in 1840 at the age of 26. Four years later, he took his brother, John, into partnership and acquired the late Thomas Babington’s brewhouse in Coningsby.
Sadly, John committed suicide in 1854, believing that his wife was having an affair with a clergyman. But Edward slowly expanded the business and, in 1869, he bought a handful of pubs and a small brewery in West Street, Alford, tucked away behind the Half Moon Inn.
He invested £3,000, which was a huge sum in those days, and built a five-storey brewery on the site in what Adam describes as “a serious show of intent”.
John’s two sons, Edward and Frederick, joined the business, which flourished until more tragedy struck.
John “went out of his mind” and died in 1890 before, five years later, Frederick’s wife, Ada, also passed away, triggering a deep depression that led to him drowning himself.
What’s more, the strain in Edward led to him attempting to kill himself by jumping from a hotel window.
All these distressing events sparked a leadership crisis within Soulby’s and led to a merger with a young brewer called Tom Winch, aged only 23.
Winch had bought Thomas East’s small brewery and 11 pubs in Louth earlier that year and formed Soulby, Sons and Winch Ltd, which oversaw 72 pubs and five malthouses.
Winch was bolstered by his family’s financial support and business remained buoyant, with Edward leaving personal estate valued at more than £4 million in today’s prices when he died of a heart attack in 1903, aged 55.
The company expanded under Winch to more than 150 pubs, while a stylish, new maltings was built at at the rear of the brewery.
The success was only halted by the First World War when many brewery workers were called up for military service.
To find out how Soulby’s coped, and what happened after the war, you’ll have to get Adam’s book!
The other breweries featured in the book, which has been produced by Amberley Publishing of Gloucestershire, are: Hewitt’s of Grimsby, Melbourn’s of Stamford, Mowbray’s of Grantham, Sergeant’s of Brigg, Soames of Spalding, 8 Sail of Heckington and Ferry Ales of Fiskerton.