End of an era: Banks's Brewery ceases brewing after 150 years in Wolverhampton

Having stood tall above the Wolverhampton skyline with its iconic chimney, the brewery has been an integral part of the city for more than a century, brewing beer since 1875.

But it brewed its final brew of Bank’s Bitter at the end of August, with the last workers on the site set to leave on September 30.

Bosses at Carlsberg Britvic, which owns the brewery, have remained tight-lipped about the last day of brewing to the bitter end - despite requests to film inside the iconic brewery one last time before it closes.

The company, which was formerly known as Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) before it acquired Britvic at the start of this year, announced in October 2024 that the brewery would be closing this autumn, putting 97 jobs at risk and marking the end of an era in its 150th year.

It has not yet confirmed details of job losses or shared a full timeline for the closure of the brewery and decommissioning of the city centre site but the company has promised an update on Thursday (September 4).

Beer lovers have spoken of their sadness at the news that the Black Country brewery has brewed its final beer, with brewing switching to Carlsberg Britvic's other sites in Burton-on-Trent and Northampton.

Sharing pictures of the last brew on Facebook, Pat Merrick from Walsall said: “After 150 years of brewing at Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton the sad day finally came recently to finish brewing there. 

“My very good friend had the very sad honour to mash the last brew and as fitting, it was a Banks’s Bitter to finish on.”

She said the final day of brewing marked “a very poignant moment for the Midlands and for beer drinkers everywhere” adding: “Our heritage took another blow.”

She said she was also saddened that there were no TV cameras and media representatives invited to document the historic moment.

Wolverhampton resident Tim Clewes, aged 54, said of the news that brewing has now ended: “It’s a real shame. It’s a huge part of Wolverhampton history that’s going. I don’t think the taste is going to change but it definitely won’t be the same.”

Leslie Holdon, aged 42, of Penn, added: “It is really sad. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the staff. It’s been an iconic part of Wolverhampton.”

Britvic Carlsberg said a number of commemorative activities had taken place with past and present employees of the business to commemorate the end of the road for the legendary brewery.

Meanwhile, it was announced at the start of August that work was getting underway to create a new £4 million Carlsberg Britvic depot at the West Midlands Interchange development near Wolverhampton.

The drinks company confirmed in July that it would become the first occupier of the new £2 billion WMI national logistics hub at Four Ashes, at Junction 12 of the M6 north of Wolverhampton.

The new 222,000 depot will replace the existing Carlsberg Britvic depot in Grimstone Street, in Wolverhampton city centre, next to the former Springfield Brewery site which is now owned by the University of Wolverhampton.

Carlsberg Britvic said operations and deliveries from the current depot would continue as normal while the new site is under construction, with the new depot at WMI expected to open in the final quarter of 2026.