Theakston Brewery company acquired and closed down the Lightfoot Brewery, also in Masham. Theakston's expanded into Cumbria in 1974 buying the Carlisle State Management Brewery. The brewery had been owned and operated by the government since 1916. However, the site was a financial drain on Theakston's and led to the company being taken over in 1984 by Blackburn based brewer, Matthew Brown plc. Matthew Brown was itself taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in 1987. Paul Theakston (Managing Director since 1968) left Theakston's in 1988, and in 1992 established the Black Sheep Brewery in the old Lightfoot Brewery premises - located adjacent
Wye Valley Brewery a short walk from the canal basin and Stourport town centre, The Black Star reopened as a Wye Valley Brewery pub in October 2014 and now provides all the comforts of a traditional pub in a truly beautiful setting – an extensive food menu and a selection of Wye Valley Brewery ales. Just a short walk from the centre of Hereford, The Britannia has a large beer garden and recently refurbished spacious bar. Like all of Wye Valley Brewery's pubs, you can expect a good choice of our ales, as well as a selection of freshly made sandwiches and pork