Huddersfield is now a hotbed of craft breweries.

Real ale fans are spoilt for choice when it comes to homegrown brews, from the likes of Magic Rock, Nook and Small World.

There are also award-winning pubs like The Sportsman, The Grove and The Star which host successful beer festivals.

But it is Huddersfield’s brewing industry of the past that has prompted an appeal by a “breweriana” collector.

Richard Percival has spent the past 35 years collecting items from hundreds of former breweries and has a staggering collection of 1,300 brewery trays.

Richard Percival and his collection of brewery trays

They are displayed in a museum he has created in his home but he is now on the hunt for trays from two Huddersfield breweries.

“I really hope that someone can help.

“I am a collector of old brewery memorabilia, and I collect any item from before the Second World War, including ceramic ashtrays, jugs, matchstrikers and coasters.

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“However my real passion is that of collecting British brewery trays.

“Despite the fact that I limit my collection to UK breweries I believe I have the world’s biggest collection. For over 35 years I have painstakingly created what I’m told is a national collection to be treasured.

Brewery trays in Richard Percival's collection

“The problem is that I am now at a loss as to how to locate certain missing brewery trays. Ebay does help but this is a hit and miss process.

“I am still searching for trays from a number of local Huddersfield breweries, which include any pre-war tray from Bentley & Shaw Ltd’s Lockwood Brewery which was acquired by Hammond’s Bradford Brewery Co Ltd in 1944 and was closed in 1963.

“The pre-war trays always have a black back when turned over and would have been manufactured by B.A.T.Co Ltd, Hancock Corfield & Waller Ltd or Causton.

“In addition I am reliably told that Seth Senior & Sons Ltd who had the Highfield Brewery, once of Shepley, definitely produced a tray and was most probably made from brass or copper.”

The collection of brewery trays

Mr Percival, of Rutland, Leicestershire, has spent the last three years putting together a website about the subject.

He has displayed all the trays in a huge room at his home and has painstakingly written a brief commentary about each of them.

His website is www.brewerytrays.co.uk

Mr Percival can be contacted at on 01572490170 or 07715369540 or email richard.percival@hotmail.co.uk or contact me on twitter @brewerytrays

It was the purity of a Huddersfield stream that brought about the success of a huge brewery in the town.

Timothy Bentley realised the water in Horse Bank Spring in Lockwood was ideal for his beers.

So in 1795 he set up a brewery in the area, close to what is now Lockwood Viaduct.

It drew water from the stream and was used in the stone square brewing system invented by Bentley, which used stone quarried from Elland.

A brewery tray produced by Bentley & Shaw Ltd

In 1841 Timothy’s grandson Bentley Shaw took over the business and continued to produce ales, porters and stouts.

The Bentley & Shaw brewery was taken over by Hammonds United in 1944 and they continued brewing on the site until 1963.

The brewery was finally demolished in 1975.

Another Huddersfield success story was at Shepley, where Seth Senior began brewing in 1829.

He was later joined by his sons Reuben and James and their business flourished.

At one point the brewery ran The George pub at Upper Denby and the New Inn in Denby Dale.

The George Inn at Upper Denby, formerly owned by the Seth Senior Brewery