WL

Charles Wells Archive

First accession of deeds made in 1949. Subsequent accessions made in 1974, 1976, 1990, 1991 and 1998.

The majority of the collection is of deeds to property i.e. the breweries and the tied houses. There are also some plans, the company magazine and a series of photographs. This collection covers the history of two brewing firms, situated respectively in Horne Lane and St. Paul's Square, Bedford. The latter is the older, but as the Horne Lane brewery absorbed its older rival, it has been put first in the catalogue. Both firms owed their situation by the river in the early days as well to the river's usefulness for the supply of water before the days of piped water supply, as to the facilities which it offered for access by barges or lighters after it had been opened up for navigation in the late 17th century. Both sets of documents throw light on the dates at which breweries began to control public-houses in an ever-widening area. Both also throw an incidental light on the older topography of Bedford.

The first deposit of 700 deeds were free from damp, and their condition good. With regard to arrangement, in the main the documents of the two firms were found in separate boxes, but nearly all of them were loose, and thus had lost their original order. They have been sorted into properties, and so far as possible the original order has been reconstructed; but WL678-701 are a few items whose correct position was not determined.

fonds

Charles Wells Ltd, breweries, public houses, DEEDS, BEDFORD, Bedford Horne Lane, Bedford St. Paul's Square, RIVERS & WATERWAYS