Wheatley & Bates, Napier Street

I have had this stone bottle for some years and just wondered if anyone knows anything about it.

What happened to the company? What did the bottle contain? etc.

Photo

I have had this stone bottle for some years and just wondered if anyone knows anything about it.

What happened to the company? What did the bottle contain? etc.

 

Photo

The 1927 Kellys give them as wine and spirit merchants Napier st Cemetery road and the Wicker. THE PRODUCTS WERE AERIATED WATER ALE PORTER AND BLACK BEER SO TAKE YOUR PICK

They where listed in the early 50's but gone by 1961

the 1901 census gives the Wheatleys with a brewery connection as managers.

The 1927 Kellys give them as wine and spirit merchants Napier st Cemetery road and the Wicker. THE PRODUCTS WERE AERIATED WATER ALE PORTER AND BLACK BEER SO TAKE YOUR PICK

They where listed in the early 50's but gone by 1961

 

the 1901 census gives the Wheatleys with a brewery connection as managers.

Thanks Hutch, sound like it was a beer bottle then although it smells slightly like vinegar if you take the top off.

I have had this stone bottle for some years and just wondered if anyone knows anything about it.

What happened to the company? What did the bottle contain? etc.

 

Photo

I was a good friend of Malcolm Wheatley whos granfather started the business. They had 2 breweries one on Napier Street and one on Henry Street. You will find many old glass soda syphons from W&B.

Besides hop bitters, soda water, and sarsaparilla, they also brewed beer as well as bottling it. They owned many off licences in Sheffield as well as a handful of pubs. Most famous one that is still standing is the Big gun on the Wicker. The company sold out to Hope & anchor Breweries in 1948, who wanted the bottling plant to bottle Jubilee stout, and war rationing meant buying secondhand.

That's interesting to know, SHYTOT. I first learned of Wheatley & Bates from the two postcards advertising "Stym" that I mentioned in my other post today (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=278140). These were bought on eBay, and both of them were posted in Ireland, where Stym (evidently brewed at Wheatley & Bates' Dublin brewery) must have been popular. I have often wondered what it tasted like; to judge from the firm's output it must have relieved quite a thirst in turn-of-the-century Sheffield. But business must have been slack by 1948, for the firm to sell out to Hope & Anchor. I suppose that there was strong competition in the local soft drinks trade (to say nothing of the rise of Coca-Cola etc.) and not many firms carry on for ever, as it were. Bottles often provide some of the more lasting evidence of these firms' existence. I found a Wheatley & Bates "Beacon Brand" bottle on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Old-WHEATLEY-BATES-Sheffield-green-beer-bottle_W0QQitemZ230192384791QQihZ013QQcategoryZ1350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here are my two postcards advertising Wheatley's "Stym" brand of hop bitters: http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Stym.jpg

Here are my two postcards advertising Wheatley's "Stym" brand of hop bitters: http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Stym.jpg

Very interesting cards. I wonder how they came up with name "Stym"?

Very interesting cards. I wonder how they came up with name "Stym"?

I can only guess that the drink was intended to "stimulate" - though there may not have been any caffeine etc. in the formula that might have this effect. I have often wondered what it tasted like, and how it evidently became so popular.

I'm bumping this old thread back up as I'm looking for some feedback. My mother worked at Wheatley & Bates just before and/or during WW2.

When I was a kid she used to tell me that every morning when she came into work she used to have to scoop out roaches from the brew. I can't imagine how they could have got in there as surely, the fermentation tanks would be sealed (?). Maybe the roaches were just around the place, foraging on whatever ingredients were scattered around..

In any event, she would never drink a dark ale such as Guinness or milk stout as she wanted to see through the ale in the bottle in case an uninvited guest was in there.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom on the likelihood that part or all of the story that she told me may have had a grain of truth in it?

I'm giving this another go, in the hope that I can bump this old thread up for current viewing. I tried once before but it didn't work.

If you'd just take a look at my previous posting and if you are able, offer feedack, I'd appreciate it.

How common were or are roaches in breweries? I know they're common in food establishments world wide. I once went into a fashionable restaurant in downtown Vancouver with a pest control company. When they applied the pesticide dust to the walls of the kitchen, they came out in droves.

thanks