Ceramic hand pump handle

Y2006.4.33

Ceramic hand pump handle, bearing the image of a bee and the inscription 'Boddingtons Cask Conditioned Ale'.

Background History

Boddingtons originated from Strangeways Brewery, which was believed to have been founded by grain merchants Thomas Caister and Thomas Frain in 1778. Henry Boddington arrived at the brewery in 1832 to work as a travelling salesman for the company, but in 1850s borrowed the money to become the sole proprietor. It was a wise investment. Manchester was growing into the world’s leading industrial city, with thousands of thirsty workers living in often unsanitary conditions. The alcohol content of beer kills germs in the liquid, which meant in the past it was often safer than drinking water. By 1877, Boddingtons had grown to become the biggest brewery in Manchester. At this time, they were producing more than 100,000 barrels of beer a year.

The brewery was bombed during World War Two, but after the war Boddingtons undertook a major construction programme to modernise the Brewery. Members of the Boddington family continued to run the brewery until 1989, when the business was purchased by the Whitbread Beer Company who continued to develop the business. Boddingtons were producing 600,000 barrels a year by 1994, by which time the beer was as ‘the Cream of Manchester’ because of its creaminess. However, Whitbread were sold in 2000 to Interbrew who decided to close Strangeways in 2005 after 227 years of brewing. Today you can still buy Boddingtons, but it isn’t made in Manchester.

This is a pump handle from a beer pump of the sort that Boddingtons would have supplied to pubs that were serving their beer to pump the beer from casks to drinkers glasses. It dates from around 1995-2000 as is intended for use with Boddingtons cask conditioned ale – often called a “real ale” – a traditional style of beer in which the beer is stored for a week or so in a cask in the pub cellar to allow the flavour to develop before it is served.

It's decorated with a bee, which was the Boddingtons logo. Bees are a traditional symbol of Manchester, representing the hard work ethic of the city’s citizens and Manchester’s place as a hive of activity. If you look around the city you will see them in many other places, such as buildings and bollards.