Everards

[3] In 1875, the company moved to a new state of the art tower brewery designed by William's nephew architect John Breedon Everard.

Everard's leased the Bridge Brewery on Umplett Green island in 1895 but its 10,000 barrels per year capacity proved insufficient.

Around 1920[7] Everards bought wine and spirit merchants John Sarsons & Son of Hotel St, Leicester, a major supplier to wealthy homes.

[8] and in 1921, a year which saw beer production peak at 55,000 barrels, the company acquired the Stamford Arms in Groby,[6] the former home of both Thomas's grandfather, Richard Everard a yeoman tenant farmer of the Grey estate[2] and his great-grandfather.

In the 1950s he developed the concept of "Everards Friendly Inns" designed to "look like your front room" which succeeded in attracting women into what was traditionally a male preserve.

Although pubs rarely came onto the market, the demolition of a number of older ones during construction of the Leicester inner ringroad in the sixties allowed the company to build new ones such as the Shakespeare in Braunstone and the Firs at Wigston.

Like his father Tony had a keen interest in aviation and in 1966 he founded the Helicopter Club of Great Britain and opened a heliport at Ratcliffe.

By 1990, Castle Acres was producing nearly 70,000 barrels, the contract with the museum ended and for the first time since 1892, all Everards beer was brewed in Leicester.

[13] Everards brews four core brands (listed below) and a range of seasonal ales[14] which in 2008-9 included Equinox (September), Sleighbell (December), Pitch Black (February) and Sly Fox (March / April).

New Everards brewery on the corner of Southgate St and Castle St built in 1875
Stamford Arms Groby, Home of Thomas Everard's grandfather and great-grandfather which became part of the estate in 1921