Ashton Park Brewery, Queen’s Road, Aston, Birmingham: Enlargement

It would appear that the Atkinson brothers came to Birmingham when the original Model Brewery founded by William Smith was sold off in 1878. The Atkinson brothers bought the brewery, maltings and the neighbouring Queen's Hotel, the tap house. William Smith's son Frederick remained at the brewery and worked for the Atkinson brothers for a period before establishing his own business at the nearby Victoria Brewery. The latter took the name of his father's Model Brewery whilst the brewery operated by the Atkinson brothers became the Aston Park Brewery.

 William and Frederic Atkinson evidently operated a successful business and the firm grew steadily. They commissioned Gregory and Haynes, to enlarge the brewery in 1885 which serviced a growing estate of tied houses. By the end of the 19th century, around eighty pubs and off licences were being supplied by Atkinson's ales. The firm became a limited company in the early 1890's and traded as Atkinson's Limited and, following a further launch of shares in 1898, became known as Atkinson's Brewery Ltd.

Reference           Brewer’s Journal, January 1879, page 9.