[3] Brands sold to them included Young's, Courage and McEwan's beers, along with contract beers, such as Kirin Ichiban and UK distribution rights to Estrella, Erdinger, Founders Brewing Company, Devil's Peak Brewing Company and Small Town Brewery.

This site contained both a coal depot and a brew house; included in the price were 35 pubs, mainly in Bedford and the surrounding area.

Wells thought that beer would always be in demand, and with the help of his father-in-law he purchased the site and began work to turn the small brew house into a fully fledged brewery which could serve the county.

The move came about due to an increased demand for the company's beers, spurred on by a deal with Red Stripe brewery Desnoes & Geddes.

This offered the company the chance to install the most up-to-date brewing equipment, and a state of the art bottling line.

Unfortunately, his prospective father-in-law put paid to his plans when he announced that no daughter of his would marry a man who would be away at sea for months at a time.

[7] The pub company controls over 200 houses, all run on tenancy or lease agreements, and declared an operating profit of £6 million in December 2008.

In early 2015, the company went back to its roots and now trades as Charles Wells, once again, reuniting the different arms of the business under its founding name.