Stroud Brewery is holding a special exhibition this week (until June 4) of old photos of Stroud businesses, the town centre, the Brewery and local pubs from years gone by.

People in Stroud would usually think about the wool trade, the mills and the invention of the lawn mower when asked to name something from the town's history. But few would probably know there are businesses in the town which have been trading for over 100 years or that beer brewing began in Stroud way back in 1760.

May is National Community History Month, and as part of its Cheers to Stroud campaign, Stroud Brewery is celebrating the town's business history with the exhibition, featuring some of the shops and companies which have been the cornerstone of economic life for generations.

Stroud as a settlement was recorded over 800 years ago, but the town centre as an economic hub began to develop in the 1600s. By the beginning of the 17th century, Stroud had a market and a fair. Although the mills and cloth trade were the dominant industry, the town became the commercial and social centre for the wider area of the valleys.

Beer brewing was started by a farmer in Middle Lypiatt, Peter Leversage, when he opened a brewery in 1760. He was soon joined by Mr Grazebrook and Mr Burgh, and in the early days, the brewery was known as Leversage, Grazebrook and Burgh. The brewery passed through many hands and became Stroud Brewery in 1888.

Stroud Brewery was always a successful company and, in its heyday, owned over 600 pubs, some of which were in Gloucester. Eventually, West Country Breweries took it over and this, in turn, was bought by Whitbread in 1963, which closed the old Stroud Brewery buildings in 1967.

Stroud's brewing tradition was resurrected in 2006, when Greg Pilley opened Stroud Brewery, which has since become a hub of Stroud life.

Whilst no local business has been going since the 17th century, Batemans' Sports, the stationers James & Owen, and Baileys' Paints are examples of some of the local traders that have been part of Stroud's community for 100 years or more. They certainly looked different from how they do today!

The photographs in the exhibition have been loaned by Stroud Museum, Geoff Sandals, who is author of the book Pubs of Gloucestershire, and the businesses themselves.

The exhibition will be open, free of charge, at Stroud Brewery's taproom between 10am and 10pm every day during half term.

This exhibition is part of Stroud Brewery's Cheers to Stroud campaign - a summer-long celebration of the people, places and history that make the town such a special place.

Stroud Brewery owes its existence to the support of Stroud people and Cheers to Stroud is its way of saying thank you to them for making it a part of local community life.

For more information, go to https://stroudbrewery.co.uk or phone 01453 887122.