THWAITES Brewery in Blackburn celebrated its 200th birthday this year and the milestone has been recorded by historian Jehanne Wake.

For she has produced a definitive book on the brewing dynasty, whose story is integral to the town's history.

Daniel was born in Cumberland in 1777 and after initially training and working as an exciseman, he came to Blackburn where he met and married Betty, daughter of brewer Edward Duckworth, who had no sons.

Thus it was that management of the brewery passed to Daniel and Thwaites Brewery was established in in 1807.

Throughout its history, the business has always stayed within the family.

When Daniel died in 1843, it was taken on by his sons Thomas and Daniel, then, in 1888, by Daniel's daughter Elma.

She inherited the prosperous business - a balance sheet for the time showed a net profit of £49,000 - while on honeymoon and she decided, against all expectations, not to sell. It was a courageous decision for a young Victorian woman to make, but she even fulfiled her father's desire to make the brewery a limited company.

She was chairman when the brewery celebrated its first centenary and she was the first woman to be given the freedom of the borough - an honour that was also later bestowed on the brewery's shire horses!

Her grandson John and his wife Ann guide the company today.

Its dray horses are an enduring image of Thwaites and which still make deliveries around the town. In the 19th century when there was no other transport they would carry hops, malt and barley to the brewery and deliver large oak casks of beer and crates of mineral water to the public houses.

They were phased out in 1927, however, when the brewery turned to petrol power.

But 30 years later a young manager in the soft drinks department called David Kay, who was to move up the ranks to become managing director, made the suggestion that the animals be brought back into use.

"Horses, this is 1957, what was he thinking about," was the retort but, eventually, his vision material-ised and on May Day 1960, the first two shire horses were led of out of their smart new stables by draymen Harry Crossland and Bill Sycamore.

When Daniel had first settled himself into the brewing business, the town was known for cotton rather than beer, but it was universally regarded as a prime necessity of life.

In those days it formed part of the British diet, and was the common beverage at every meal from the cradle to the grave. It was even given - seven gallons on one occasion! - to children on Sunday school treats!

Over the years, the brewery continued to thrive and during the depression it ran the first collective advertisement Beer is Best' which appeared on the hoardings in 1933 to stimulate sales.

And although there was an exodus of staff during the Second World War, demand for alcoholic beverage was stimulated by the presence of troops stationed around Blackburn when the pubs often overflowed with soldiers.

In 1957, a celebration dinner was staged to mark its 150th anniversary, when 57 executives and wives assembled at the Moorcock Inn, Waddington, where a cocktail cost 2s 6d, and the bill for the evening was £116. 14s 6d! Each of the 600 staff, including the publicans of its 37 managed houses, were given £5 as a thank you.

The brewery today has an extensive estate of public houses, but the Black Bull at Livesey is the oldest surviving; it has been in Thwaites' ownership for nearly 200 years.

l Published by Scotforth Books, copies of Thwaites 200 are available at Blackburn Library and the Visitor Centre, Church Street, priced £17.99.