HN10/270/King10

Letter from Aveling Tanqueray at Llangollen to Elizabeth King: "Many thanks for your kind letter & for writing to George. My troubles do not involve John in the least. My capital was lost in the Brewery long before I came here, since when Malt & Hops have been so dear that no Brewery has done well besides this Brewery is a difficult one to manage having no local Trade. We have avoided Welsh Trade as much as we can on account of the strikes & have gone to Manchester, Shropshire & Birmingham &c and we find they are not much better on account of the late failures consequently we make bad debts & it is difficult to get good agents & what with the dearness of Malt & Hops &c there is little good to be done to meet the heavy burdens still on the Brewery. We have the last two years been relieved of £260 a year by the death of Mr.Lockett & Mr.Booth but we still have £100 a year to pay Mrs.Booth who is in her 83rd year. It was a bad purchase in fact a swindle as regards the business and the Brewery after the fire was made too large for the business doing, which makes it more difficult to work. Malt & Hops will be much cheaper this Season, the latter opening at £4 a cwt against 12 or 16 Guineas a cwt a Profit in itself & I hope Malt will be 10/- a go cheaper, so there is a brighter prospect looming in the future. Malt & Hops last year cost us nearly £800 more than the year before for same amount of trade, so you will easily understand what difficult times we have had to contend with & no higher price for our beer. I am of opinion that the Water is treacherous but John will not see it & therefore I have no confidence in the Brewery. Some months our ales do not keep so well as others. If we could find Trade for Bitter beer and brew nothing else we should make a fortune for we brew much better than they do at Beeston & people are finding it out but it requires advertising here. I hope you are all well"

13 Sep 1875

From: 1875 To: 1875

item

Tanqueray, Aveling,
King, Elizabeth,
Tanqueray, Elizabeth,
Tanqueray, George,
Tanqueray, John Samuel,
Lockett,
Booth

Llangollen Brewery, debt, malt, hops, fire brigade incidents, annuities, Llangollen, Manchester, Shropshire, Birmingham