FLOWERS BREWERY

[Conan-the-Barbadian]

Emma

The family who had the brewery at Stratford-upon-Avon spring from George Flower (1715-1778), who owned a stationery business at Cannon Street in the City of London. Of his Flower descendants, none have had the name Paul and none that I know of have lived in Dorset or Somerset. That’s no proof that your Paul is not connected, but I’d suspect it’s unlikely.

Conan

[G Mlx]

Edgar Flower (born 31st May 1833 and died 29th July 1903) was the son of Edward Fordham Flower and brother of Charles Flower, brewers of Stratford upon Avon, living at the Hill House.
 In August 1878 he bought the Middle Hill Estate near Broadway from James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps who had married Henrietta (my grandmother's grandmother) the eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Phillipps Bart. and the heiress of Thomas Phillipps senior (1742-1818) who had entailed his various estates, including, Buckland, Laverton and Childswickham.
The Birmingham Daily Post of the 30th March 1900 in the Court Circular states "Mr and Mrs. Edgar have taken up their residence permanently at their Cotswold home, Middle Hill, Broadway, Worcestershire and Mr. and Mrs. Archie D.Flower are now living at the Hill, Stratford on Avon".
The Middle Hill estate had been laid waste by Sir Thomas Phillipps and the house left abandoned, after he had moved his large library in 1863-1864 to Thirlestaine House in Cheltenham, as he knew that his hated son in law, James Orchard Halliwell, would inherit it under the terms of his father's will, by adopting the name of Phillipps by Royal Licence ( granted in April 1872, see London Gazette) and so the Flower family had to spend time and money on renovations.
There is plenty of information about them on the www including some photographs of Mrs. Edgar Flower and her daughters at Middle Hill.

[BushInn1746]

Hello

The old Business (Legal administrative Directors, Yearly Accounts, Certificate/s of Properties on Mortgage) records of many Brewery Companies can be found at Companies House.

If you know the Company Name & Company Number and the historic Company records are still with Companies House, you can buy images of records supplied by the Company.

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo


Flower's Brewery Stratford upon Avon were taken over by Whitbread. If I remember correctly Whitbread's closed the old Flower Brewery, Birmingham Road, Stratford upon Avon.


However, I can't see any former Companies House, Company Records for Flower or Whitbread Brewer or Brewery, at TNA, in BT (Board of Trade) Company Registration files.

Large British Brewery companies were notorious for acquiring smaller Breweries, Mergers and also running subsidiary Brewing and property Companies and Property Holding Companies.

 ----------

Besides the records of Flower's Brewery at SBT, you also want Slatter Son & More Solicitors, also at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) Archives, Stratford upon Avon.

Edward Fordham Flower
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=Edward%20Fordham%20Flower&_dss=range&_sd=1750&_ed=1900&_ro=any&_st=adv

Mark

[BushInn1746]

Thanks for all your information, which is most interesting.

I have in my Flower Family Tree a Maud Flowers b. c1875 at Shoreditch Middx. 
She married JAMES GREEN in 1898 at Bethnal Green.
Her parents were Richard W.Flowers b 1833 at Portsea Hants. And Eliza b 1835 also at Portsea.

I have been told that my Maud Flowers was connected or related to the Flower Brewery family.

In 1954 the Flowers Brewery was taken over by J.W.GREEN.  Is he any relation to the James Green who married my Maud Flowers ?

The Brewery at Stratford upon Avon was the Brewery of the FLOWER family and taken over by Whitbread and closed.


Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/e865f4a7-f0c9-4f3d-aab2-2bded30b17d3#0
FLOWER AND SONS LTD, BREWERS, OF STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
DR 227
116 volumes & 455 items
Records of the firm of Flower and Sons Ltd., brewers of Stratford-upon-Avon, 1828-1966, with related deeds and papers, 1616-1958 The business was founded in Stratford in 1831 by Edward Flower (1805-1883), who had family connections with the Fordham brewing family in Hertfordshire. A brewery was built on land between Birmingham and Clopton roads, with a canal frontage for delivery and distribution. The business flourished, his sons Charles and Edgar were taken into partnership and in 1870 larger premises were opened on the Birmingham Road, the original brewery maintaining an administrative function with reduced production. The first 'tied' public house was linked to the firm in 1836 and their inn holdings increased gradually, expanding rapidly after incorporation as a Limited Liability Co. in 1888, with the taking over of smaller breweries to acquire their property stock. The export trade always formed a large sector of the business, the 'India Pale Ale' being of especial note. Members of the Flower family continued to control the brewery until its takeover and subsequent closure by Whitbreads in the 1970s Allied to their business interests, the Flowers, particularly Charles Edward (d. 1892) and his successors, played a prominent role in the development of the Shakespeare Memorial (later Royal Shakespeare) Theatre in Stratford.