Sedgwicks was a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

located in

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

, Hertfordshire, until its sale to local rival

Benskins Benskins was the pre-eminent brewery in Watford, and Hertfordshire's biggest brewer until its acquisition by Ind Coope in 1957. While Benskins has not existed as an independent company for over half a century, the brand continues to be well kn ...

in 1923.L. M. Richmond, Alison Turton, ''Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1990. 66.

History

Sedgwick's is believed to have its origins in a brewhouse owned by William Smith and located in Watford High Street around 1655. Continuing under family ownership, William Smith's brewery underwent modest expansion until 1790 when it was sold to George Whittingstall. George Whittingstall instigated more significant expansion of the brewery and tied estate until his death in 1822 when he left the brewery to a cousin, Edmund Fearnley, on condition that he change his name to Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall. Expansion again continued, however upon Edmund's death the brewery estate become liable for debts arising from his other business ventures, and so the decision was made to lease the brewery and tied estate to William F. Sedgwick starting from 1862. The brewery remained in the Sedgwick family, and they expanded by purchasing the Colne Brewery, Uxbridge in 1896, Wild's Brewery, Rickmansworth in 1900, and Speedy's Brewery, Clapham, in 1923. However, later that year the brewery and tied estate was sold to local competitor Benskin's for £597,000. ''Link is to description, not to full text''

Trivia

British celebrity chef and television presenter

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Hugh Christopher Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall (born 14 January 1965) is an English celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer, and campaigner on food and environmental issues. Fearnley-Whittingstall hosted the ''River C ...

, owes his name to his ancestor's entry into the brewing industry, himself being a descendant of Edmund Fearnley.

References

{{Reflist Defunct breweries of the United Kingdom