Ridley, H G & W

26 Fore St + Mill Place, Ipswich

The 1823 Pigot's Directory lists Hen. & Geo Ridley as brewers & wine & spirit merchants (Fore st, St Clements)

The 1830 Pigots Directory lists Henry & George Ridley as brewers (Fore st, St Clements).

A notice in the Ipswich Journal** in Oct 1830 states :

A notice place in the 9th October 1830 Ipswich Journal states under the heading Ale and Porter that on Monday next, retailers and housekeepers may be supplied at H and G Ridley's Brewery, in the Rope Lane, St. Clement's, with ale of various qualities, at reduced price. As agents to Messrs. Truman, Hanbury, Buxton and Co., H & G Ridley will also have in their power to supply London Porter on advantageous terms, either from the same place, or direct from London.

(** historic newspaper information from Stuart Ansell)

The 1839 and 1840 Pigot's Directories list Henry, George & William Ridley as brewers (Fore St., St Clements).

The 1844 White's Directory lists H G & W Ridley as brewers (Fore st)

Also listed at 40 Corn Exchange in 1874.

A report in the Ipswich Journal** in July 1890 states that :

The estate of the late Mr Owen Ridley, Ipswich, described as the wine and spirit business of Messrs. G & O Ridley, with brewery, malting, public houses, etc., was submitted to public competition on Wednesday 2nd July 1890, at the Mart, Tokenhouse Yard, E.C., by Messrs. Henry Haines and Son. There was a tolerably large gathering of gentlemen, many of them interested in the brewing trade, including Messrs. Tollemache Bros., Mr J D Cobbold, Mr N Catchpole, Mr W J Catchpole, Mr Alfred Porter, Mr H J Finn, Mr H B Smith, Mr S Brown, Mr R J Turner, and others. The brewery, malting, bonding vault, and public houses were offered in one lot. The premises ( the whole lot of which are freehold) are situated in Fore Street and Lower Orwell Street, Ipswich, and comprise A private dwelling house, with offices and wine and spirit retail department, the whole fully licensed as the "Wheatsheaf", and being Nos. 24 & 26, Fore Street. There are also offices and a retail wine and spirit bar. The houses adjoining, included in the lot, are No. 28, Fore street, in the occupation of Mr F C Ward, at a yearly rent of £28; No. 30 Fore street, in the occupation of Mr Denny, at a yearly rent of £19; and No. 30a, in the occupation of Mrs Knight, at a yearly rent of £19. The following hotels, public houses, and beer houses were also included: The Pilot, Quay, Ipswich, let at £16 per annum (freehold); the John Barleycorn, corner of Woodhouse Street and Pottery Street, Ipswich, let at £15 per annum (freehold); the Lord Nelson, 81 Fore Street, let at £14 per annum (freehold); the Earl Grey, Fore hamlet, let at £10 per annum (freehold); the White Elm, Bishop's Hill, let at £10 per annum, with stables, 6 cottages, and land, let at £37 14s 6d per annum (freehold); the Shipwright Arms, 55 Wherstead Road, let at £20 per annum (freehold); Blue Coat Boy, Old cattle Market, let at £13 per annum (freehold); the Cherry Tree, Cox Lane, let at £18 per annum (freehold); the Horse and Groom, Woodbridge Road, let at £18 per annum (freehold); the Dog, Grundisburgh, with over an acre of land, let at £20 per annum (copyhold); the Crown Hotel, Framlingham, including the Corn Exchange, let at £63 per annum (freehold); and the White Rose, Lindsey, with 5 acres of land, let at £15 per annum (copyhold). The total rental of freeholds and copyholds (leaving home premises, brewery, malting, and bonding vault in hand) is £433 19s 6d. Mr Finn opened the bidding with an offer of £10,000, very soon it became apparent that the competition was mainly between two Ipswich firms Messrs. Catchpole and Messrs. Tollemache and Bros. Steadily the bidding rose by hundreds until Messrs. Catchpole bid £19,000, several other gentlemen having occasionally interposed between these gentlemen and Messrs. Tollemache. Eventually, however, the hammer fell at £20,000, the bid of Messrs. Tollemache. The only other lot comprised two freehold shops and dwelling houses, Nos. 35, 37, and 39 Fore Street, Ipswich. Mr S Brown, butcher, Woodbridge Road, offered £500, and no other bid being forthcoming, the lot was bought at £950.

(** historic newspaper information from Stuart Ansell)