Atlas Brewery, Lathom’s Yard, Millgate
The Atlas Brewery at Lathom’s Yard, 20a Millgate, was one of the many small independent breweries that once formed part of Wigan’s rich brewing heritage. Operated by Moorfields Ltd., the brewery was founded in September 1914 and occupied premises originally built in 1875.
Despite its relatively modest size, the company established a solid local reputation, supplying beer to clubs and other outlets across the district. Unlike many breweries of the period, Moorfields Ltd. had no tied houses, relying instead on the quality and popularity of its beers to maintain trade. At its formation the brewery employed nine members of staff and produced both bottled and draught beers.
Among the brewery’s bottled beers were Bitter Beer, Brown Ale, IPA, Special Ale, No. 1 Pale Ale and Invalid Nourishing Stout, which had previously been known as Invalid Oat Milk Stout. These beers reflected the varied tastes of the period, when breweries commonly produced a mixture of pale ales, darker mild-style beers and nourishing stouts aimed at both public houses and home consumption.
Since its inception, the brewery had been operated by the Moorfield family. In 1955, the directors were Harry W. Moorfield and Mrs. M. B. Moorfield. Harry W. Moorfield also served as brewer and company secretary, continuing the close family management that characterised many smaller Lancashire breweries.
By 1963, Mrs. D. Wardale had replaced Mrs. M. B. Moorfield as director, although the business remained under family control.
During the 1960s the brewery was producing around 120 barrels of beer each week, maintaining a steady trade with working men’s clubs and licensed premises across the district. However, redevelopment plans for the Millgate area ultimately brought an end to the business.
The brewery closed in 1969 and the buildings were subsequently demolished. Following the closure, the club trade previously supplied by Atlas Brewery was acquired by Wilsons Brewery.
Although relatively small in comparison with the major regional brewers, Atlas Brewery achieved an unexpected degree of fame amongst collectors of brewery memorabilia. The brewery’s beermats became especially sought after, with more than 100 known variations produced over the years. These distinctive mats have since become valued items within beermat collecting circles and remain a small but important reminder of Wigan’s once-thriving brewing industry.
The Atlas Brewery represented the tradition of independent local brewing that flourished in industrial Lancashire towns during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Situated within the busy commercial surroundings of Millgate, it formed part of the wider network of workshops, warehouses and manufacturing premises that supported Wigan’s industrial economy and social life for generations.