is a family-run company in Devizes, Wiltshire, in the south of England. Henry Alfred Wadworth founded this brewery in 1875 after having trained as a brewer in London. He went into business with his brother-in-law, John Smith Bartholomew, whose descendants still run the business today.

Wadworth’s brews a range of fine, well-respected session ales. The flagship brand, 6X, is a full-bodied, finely balanced mid-brown beer at 4.3% ABV and has a national following. The brewery’s other beers are harder to find outside Wadworth’s heartland but include seasonal and limited-edition ales. The brewery has broadened its portfolio in recent years, most notably with Swordfish, introduced in 2009 to commemorate a century of British naval aviation. Swordfish is blended with Pusser’s Rum, the traditional booze ration of British sailors.

While its beers are good, Wadworth is more notable for the brewery itself. The Victorian redbrick Northgate brewery in the heart of the town of Devizes is still the center of Wadworth’s operations. It is one of the finest surviving examples of a traditional Victorian tower brewery and retains many original features. A new copper house was installed in 2009, but the original open copper is still occasionally used, and a traditional steam engine is still in running order. Wadworth employs the UK’s last remaining master brewery cooper, meaning that its beers are still available to be served from wooden barrels, and beer is delivered to local pubs every day by a team of four shire horses.

Wadworth remains an important regional family brewery, which offers a now rare opportunity to see some great, painstakingly preserved British brewing traditions.

See also britain.