Blue plaques honour brewing greats

BLUE plaques will be unveiled in Hinckley in honour of two brewing greats connected to the town.

William Bass, who grew up the town, and William Butler, who was born here, are to be commemorated with memorials.

People can go along and meet the two great brewers - revived by actors in period costume - along with William Worthington, who was born in Orton on the Hill and who will receive a similar honour later in the year.

Unveiling ceremonies will be held on Saturday June 3, beginning at the top of Castle Street at 11.30am then moving to The Greyhound pub on New Buildings.

The memorials are part of a series of celebrations marking the 300th year of Bass’s birth.

Events and exhibitions have been organised by the Hinckley and Bosworth branch of CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale - and Hinckley and District Museum, whose chairmen will be directing the unveiling ceremonies.

Guest of honour Jennifer, Lady Gretton, the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, will lead the unveiling, supported by the mayors of Hinckley and Bos- worth and Burton upon Trent, Cllrs Ozzy O’Shea and Simon Gaskin the chairman of Leicestershire County Council, Janice Richards, and heritage brewer Steve Wellington.

Lady Gretton’s involvement is particularly appropriate as her late husband’s family was in business with Bass, in a partnership known as Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton.

As it is not known exactly where Bass lived (documents identify Castle End, now Castle Street, but not a specific building) the plaque is to be mounted on a building of appropriate age, by permission of its owners Martina and Timothy Payne.

The plaque to William Butler, partner in the famous Mitchell’s and Butler brewery, will be put up on the pub in New Buildings, where he was born in a cottage (which no longer exists) in 1843.

A plaque commemorating William Worthington will be unveiled in his home village in August.

An exhibition, All Hail the Ale, celebrating the lives of the three great brewers is on display at Hinckley and District Museum in collaboration with the National Brewery Centre in Burton.

It includes Bass family material not seen in Hinckley for more than 250 years.