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1582 - 1831 Early Days
Humphrey Langridge and his descendants ran the brewery for over 90 years, until in 1670 it passed by marriage into the hands of Somerset Draper and his brother Humphrey. It was already a large concern with a counting house, clerks to keep the books, and horses and drays for local deliveries. The Drapers were wealthy and well connected and their legacy to us today is the early 18th century brewery house - now the oldest building on Wandsworth High Street, except for the parish church.
In 1763, the Drapers sold the brewery to Thomas Tritton. Tritton already ran another brewery in Kent, and with connections in the banking world he was able to expand the Ram Brewery, turning the production over to porter - an 18th century brewing innovation - as well as buying and leasing public houses in Wandsworth, Putney, Clapham, central London, even as far a field as Sheerness. On his death in 1786, Thomas's son George took on the business.Ram Brewery beer was distributed by horse and dray on the roads and by barge up and down the river Thames, but in 1803 the Surrey Iron Railway opened. This was the world's first public railway, with horse drawn waggons. It ran from near the Ram Brewery to Croydon. Shareholders included George Tritton and Southwark manufacturer, Florance Young. For the first time, Wandsworth beer could be distributed by rail.
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