‘A piece of Black Country heritage gone for good’

Terry Cole, landlord of the The Royal Oak, said the brewery closure was “heartbreaking”

As Banks’s Brewery produces its last beer at its 150-year-old site in Wolverhampton, a former worker, landlord and resident explain what the loss means to them and the city ahead of it closing later this month.

Operations first started at the brewery in 1875, but it was announced last year by owners Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) that it was to close in its 150th year due to company restructuring.

Drink production is moving to Burton upon Trent. Up to 97 people work at the Wolverhampton site.

Martin Lovatt, a former electrician at Banks’s, said it was a great place to work and he would “be forever proud of the beers we produced”.

“I retired from Banks’s five years ago,” the 68-year-old, who now lives in Cyprus, said.

“As I left, Carlsberg were just coming in. It was supposed to be a merger not a takeover, we already knew them well as we brewed a lot of beer for them.

“Problem was that the equipment all through Wolverhampton was old and needed investment, so it was always a question, will they invest or will they close.

“It’s a piece of Black Country heritage gone for good.”

Growing up in Wolverhampton, Mr Lovatt said he remembered the smell of the brewery as he travelled through Chapel Ash and had loved the scent ever since.

He said: “The Banks’s name and the Banks’s beers are an integral part of Wolverhampton. Although I’m sure some of their brands will continue to be brewed elsewhere, it’s not the same.

“I personally had a career in the printing industry and only went into Banks’s in later years.

“When I retired, I moved to Cyprus where I got a job in a microbrewery here, in no time at all they had me brewing their beers too.”

Ray Smith, 67, who lives in Wolverhampton, said he mourned the loss of the brewery and its products.

“Looking back over the years Banks’s has been a big part of the lives of many families in Wolverhampton, socially, serving fantastic beers – Banks’s Mild and Bitter being a favourite, and through employment through many generations of workers,” he said.

“I think its closure will be a big loss, socially and also affect those employed at the brewery, taking away another piece of Wolverhampton history.”