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BIDWELL & Co THETFORD Index
OLD MARKET STREET THETFORD BOROUGH   -

The THETFORD BREWERY Co

Pre 1924 window

Founded 1710.

Shelford Bidwell is recorded brewing beer in Thetford in 1791 and 1795.

Owner given as Samuel Bidwell in 1826

Leonard Shelford Bidwell by 1830 to 1868


Conveyed from Leonard Shelford Bidwell to Shelford Clarke Bidwell 30th September 1868 for £30,000
The estate included the Brewery, Maltings, Public Houses in Thetford and 20 other houses in Norfolk.

Suffolk houses were :-
the COCK at Botesdale, landlord Daniel Pawsey
the BELL at Brandon, landlord Cornelius Hyam

Cambridgeshire houses were :-
CHERRY TREE, Fitzroy Street, Cambridge.
GREYHOUND, Coldham Lane, Cambridge
WHITE HORSE, Coronation Street, Cambridge
GLOBE, Newmarket Road, Fen Ditton.

Ownership passes from Thomas S. Bidwell of Thetford
to his trustees : The Reverend George Woodward Bidwell of Upton, Huntingdonshire & Shelford Bidwell of Southfield, London.

The estate was valued 25th July 1889 at £68,052.
This included 55 Public Houses, Malthouses, Dwelling Houses and land in Norfolk & Suffolk.
The Brewery was valued at £6500 and a Malthouse in Dolphin Yard at £700, Malthouse & 2 pieces land near the railway at £4950.
A Malthouse in Raymond Street was valued at £750 with £550 being placed on the Residence and garden. A Slaughterhouse in Magdalen Street was valued at £400.

Sale priced quoted 25th July 1889 :-
Suffolk houses :-
Brandon - Bell (£500), Coach & Horses (beerhouse - £450) & White Horse (£360)
Bardwell - Six Bells (£530)
Barton Mills - Bull (£500)
Botesdale - Cock (£240)
Lakenheath - Anchor (£375)


When offered for sale in 1904 the estate was described as:-
Including 105 Hotels, Public House & Beerhouses.
Average of 10,379 barrels sold over previous 4 years.
Comprising 9108 barrels of Beer & 1271 barrels of Stout.
Spirit sales averaged 6192 gallons.
Mineral waters produced good profit and wine sales were fair.
Stout not produced but purchased for many years from Truman, Hanbury & Co
for which 7,000 to 10,000 Quarters of Malt were produced on commission.


The estate was purchased 01.04.1905 by Eustace Cuthbert Quilter of Bawdsey Manor for the sum of £104,250.
Trading continued under the name of Bidwells.


Ownership in Licence Registers (1921) given as BIDWELL & SUTTON.

The estate was purchased by Bullards in 1924 but change of ownership is not noted in the Licence Registers until January 1925.

Bidwell & Co are also known to have owned c1886 :-

Isleham, Cambs -  Swan (Beerhouse)

Honington, Suffolk  - Fox
Lakenham, Suffolk - Green Dragon
Mildenhall, Suffolk - Prince of Wales