X95/231-292

Records of the Luton Brewery c.1850-97 References to Gray's Crown and Anchor Brewery, X95/246-9 (see also X95/332-358 and X95/370-3)

1845 - 1897

From: 1845 To: 1897

Note: This brewery (see X95/314-5) was established in New Bedford Road "about 1850". The directory of that year gives Robert Sworder, New Bedford Road, brewer. The Thomas Sworder of this collection had both father and grandfather Robert Sworder (X94/241). In 1858 (Austin, ii, 79 says 1857) Thomas Sworder bought the Park Street brewery. This brewery (according to Austin, local citizen) dates back to 1767, when Edmund Humphreys purchased a large tenement and grounds on the east side of Park Street and erected a brewery at the side of his house there; Humphreys retired sometime before 1776 and sold the house and brewery to Thomas Godfrey Burr. It remained with the Burr family till the sale to Sworder (Thomas Godfrey Burr died 1798; William died 1830; and was succeeded by Frederick and Charles). Austin speaks of 90-100 tied houses owned by the Burrs, but it seems from these documents that only 33 were sold to Sworder; and Sworder's brewery, when in turn this was sold, had only 58. Austin says that Thomas Sworder was a solicitor practising in Luton and that the purchase price was £38,750; that Sworder soon erected new brewing premises in New Bedford Road (but see above); but continued to use the Park Street buildings for malting, and they became known as the Old Brewery. In 1862 according to these documents, Sworder let to Anstee, Cook and Bennett 28 public houses for 0 years as the result of an assignment for the benefit of creditors [BS2234]. Anstee apparently also had on lease the brewery in Bedford Road, the Crown and Anchor, the Bute Arms, and other houses in Luton and district, totalling 49. Apparently all the public houses were heavily mortgaged. Sworder (Austin ii,156) married a daughter of Richard Vyse of Holly Lodge, which he purchased some years later (cf. X95/265-6) Sworder's letters to his uncle, Thomas Sworder, solicitor at Hertford, cover the period 1848-72 The brewery in New Bedford Road, Mineral water factory in Inkerman Street and maltings in Park Street, together with 58 public houses in Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and district were offered for sale in 1897, and were bought by John William Green of the Phoenix Brewery, Park Street West, for £139,000, when the New Bedford Road brewery was closed. (see also X95/385: sale 1873) It should be borne in mind that no doubt all the essential documents were extracted by Green at the time of the purchase, and this collection, consisting largely of copies, drafts etc. represents the husk only

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