THE HERITAGE BIT 

STEEPED IN BREWING HERITAGE

Throughout its long history, the name William Worthington has symbolised great ales at the heart of British brewing....

THE HEART & DAGGER

With the advent of trade mark registration, William Henry Worthington commissioned London agent Harper, Boulton & Co. in 1863, to submit designs for his firm's brand symbol. In interpreting Worthington's founding role within commercial brewing, the agency submitted original designs representing Worthington's famous ales with a blood red heart and dagger. Nothing is recorded of the subsequent transition from the heart to the more familiar shield with a dagger upon it, but on 17th July 1863, a sample label submitted by a Burton printer was agreed and accepted by the Worthington partners. 2002 saw Worthington's original intentions realised with the unveiling of the brand's new 'heart-shaped-shield' and dagger.

BRITAIN'S OLDEST BEER

A sensational cache of bottled beers dating back over 130 years has been discovered in Burton upon Trent, the home of Great British brewing. Found recently in the Worthington's White Shield brewery vaults, many are still in fine condition with their corks and wax seals still in place.

The find includes many vintages, including Worthington's White Shield, one of Britain's oldest bottle conditioned ales and 2006 CAMRA Champion Bottle Conditioned Beer of Britain. Other commemorative ales brewed to celebrate royal marriages, visits or births were also found with the oldest being an 1869 Harry Ratcliff's Ale - to mark the birth of a son into the Ratcliff family, brewers who eventually became part of the Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton empire in the late 19th century.

Burton upon Trent is synonymous with beer and some of those found date back to the golden age of British Ale brewing, when Burton beers travelled the globe and became famous for their high drinkability and consistent quality and taste.

Thanks to the traditional brewing methods first used in the 1820's to craft Worthington's White Shield, the modern day legacy of these historic, iconic brews lives on today. In order to preserve them for years to come, Head Brewer, Steve Wellington, and his team of skilled re-corkers have already embarked upon a comprehensive re-corking programme.