William Hancock & Co. Ltd
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom · Est. 1884
Tally's Take
Why this matters
William Hancock bought the Bute Dock Brewery in 1884 and built it into Cardiff's dominant brewer, moving to Crawshay Street after acquiring the County Brewery in 1894. Bass Charrington took the company in 1968 and it became Welsh Brewers, then Bass Wales — and in 1999 the Crawshay Street brewery was sold to Brains. So Cardiff's largest brewery ended up in the hands of the family firm that had started in 1882 by buying a small brewery from a wife's relatives.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1884Hancock buys the Bute Dock Brewery
The start of Cardiff's dominant brewing company.
- 1894Moves to Crawshay Street
After acquiring the County Brewery.
- 1968Acquired by Bass Charrington
Became Welsh Brewers, then Bass Wales.
- 1999Crawshay Street sold to Brains
The city's biggest brewery passes to the family firm founded in 1882.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
3 recorded moves- 1884Founded
- 1884Hancock buys the Bute Dock Brewery
The start of Cardiff's dominant brewing company.
- 1894Moves to Crawshay Street
After acquiring the County Brewery.
- 1968Acquired by Bass Charrington
Became Welsh Brewers, then Bass Wales.
No current parent in the archive's records — the moves above are history, not present ownership.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's Wales master, Pass 139. No source URL accompanied this row.
Tally's Wales master, Pass 139 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in the source pass: 1884, 1894, 1968, 1999.
Tally's Wales master, Pass 139 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about William Hancock & Co. Ltd
- Who owns William Hancock & Co. Ltd?
- William Hancock & Co. Ltd is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
- Is William Hancock & Co. Ltd independent?
- Yes. William Hancock & Co. Ltd is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- Is William Hancock & Co. Ltd still open?
- No. William Hancock & Co. Ltd has closed. Wales Pass 139. Closed 1968. Founder: William Hancock. William Hancock bought the Bute Dock Brewery in 1884; the company moved to Crawshay Street after acquiring the County Brewery in 1894. Acquired by Bass Charrington in 1968 and became Welsh Brewers/Bass Wales; the Crawshay Street brewery was sold to Brains in 1999.
- When was William Hancock & Co. Ltd founded?
- William Hancock & Co. Ltd was founded in 1884 in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
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