Telford and District Inns and Taverns

Find out more about the history of Inns and Taverns in the Telford area by clicking on the links.

Trade Marks

All brewers had a trademark - in today’s speak, their ‘corporate image.’

These marks were on the letterheads, railway trucks, lorries, pubs, and virtually everything that the company owned.

A register of trademarks was first introduced by The Trademarks Registration Act of 1875.

The trademark was often etched into the windows of pubs and can still been seen today. Sometimes the mark was incorporated into leaded light windows. Leaded light windows were favoured in pubs because if windows became broken in fights they were cheaper to replace than large sheets of glass.

Only brewery companies whose photographs are featured have been included in Trademarks. These are still subject to copyright.

Bass Worthington, Burton upon Trent.

The trademark for Bass, who operated many licensed houses throughout Shropshire, was a Red Triangle, the first registered trademark in the world. The Company first started using this mark in the 1850’s as a shipping mark. (They shipped Pale Ale – a light beer, to the British army in India).
It is remembered within the Company, that a member of the staff slept on the steps of the registrar’s office, to make sure that the company obtained the first registration. It was also arranged for a large dray (beer delivery cart) to block the entrance to the road – the company was so determined to be first. He did well, because he also obtained number 2, which was a red diamond, and number 3, a brown diamond (which was used for porter)

Mitchells & Butlers, Cape Hill Brewery, Smethwick.

Their trademark was a deer leaping across a stream. This mark was thought to be appropriate because Cape Hill Brewery was built on a Deer Park in Smethwick (!), in the late 1890’s.
A stream ran across the park and the deer would leap across to graze. The picture (left) is an enamel sign that was usually fixed to the wall above the entrance door to an off-license (i.e. the license only allowed for the sale of beer for consumption off the premises).

W. Butler, Springfield Brewery, Wolverhampton.

Their Trademark was an Eagle holding grapes. This can still be seen on several pubs in Shropshire.
A good example of this mark can be seen at the Woodman, Coton Hill, Shrewsbury, on the inn sign, on the side of the house.

Atkinsons, Aston Brewery, Lichfield Road Birmingham.

Their trademark was 3 A’s, their tops pointing to each other.

This picture is from an etched glass door. The etching was produced by covering the glass with wax. Where the frosting was required the wax was scratched away. The glass was then dipped in an acid bath, the wax protected the glass but the unprotected glass became frosted.

Fred Smiths, Aston Model Brewery, Lichfield Road, Birmingham.

Their mark was two interlinked circles as seen above Star – Bright Ale on the bottle label (left).