In the years after his retirement David was able to
concentrate on enjoying the tranquillity of Foxearth,
endorsed by the memories of his family’s glorious past,
until he too died in September 1997.

There is little to see of the business that once gave a
dependent living to so many people down the years. The
office buildings and the Engine House (now called the
Pump House)  remain, but the great buildings were
demolished a generation ago and a housing estate, known
as The Chase, built in their place.

 With the wisdom of hindsight, it may look that the
directors of the brewery acted hastily when it was sold and
nearly half a century since its closure, people still lament
its death. At the time of its sale, the firm was doing
relatively well and making the right products at the right
time, which in the past had carried the Ward’s to fame and
prosperity. Rather than merely making money, they were
interested in making better products and building them up
to a heady standard, not down to a price.

But perhaps it was this virtue that led the sell out. In
the past, farsighted investment had been the bulwark
which  had  allowed  the  company  to  overtake  the
competition by every measurable yardstick of achievement.

But in the 1950s, capital for research and development was
in short supply, so it must have seemed a prudent economy
to accept the Taylor Walker deal. Irresolution over the
popularity of beer and the fashion for lager, may also have
influenced the decision to sell.

The brewery was many things to many people, but now
we are left only with the essential aspect of its inescapable
and marvellous legacy. It was right to put away the sunlit
past before success became elusive.