Burtonwood Brewery commenced Brewing in 1867. It latterly operated the brewery and a substantial tied pub estate. In 1997 Eldridge Pope, of Dorset, split off it’s brewing operations into a new company named Thomas Hardy. In 1999 Burtonwood and Thomas Hardy merged and the brewery in Dorset was subsequently closed. In 2005 the Burtonwood pub estate was acquired by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (subsequently Marstons plc). Thomas Hardy Burtonwood continued as an independent brewing and packaging businessunder the name Thomas Hardy Brewing and Packaging. In 2015, the site was purchased by Molson Coors with production to continue there.