The name Cains seemed likely to die out at various points in the twentieth century, but, like the ornate Victorian pubs and brewery in Stanhope Street, the Cains name and tradition of fine beer making have turned out to be landmarks, built to last.

In 1911, just four years after the death of Robert Cain, Cains was merged with Walkers of Warrington, becoming Walker Cains, and production was switched to Warrington. The world was changing rapidly: the Great War of 1914-18 brought enormous upheaval and social changes such as the vote for women over 30, precipitated by women’s war work in traditionally male occupations in factories and on the land (women didn’t win equal voting rights with men until 1928).

The economic boom of the Victorian era was by now definitely over, although Cains was doing well: it was one of the top 50 companies in the UK in 1919. By the summer of 1921 over 2 million people were unemployed in the UK and there was widespread suffering and deprivation, culminating in the period after the Wall Street Crash, with almost 3 million out of work by 1932.

In 1923 the landmark Stanhope Street Brewery was sold to Higson's (it is still known by that name by many Liverpudlians), and they continued to brew excellent ales in the tradition of Robert Cain. The brewery flourished all the way up to and during the ‘60s & ‘70s, when Liverpool – with its legendary music and sporting achievements – had so much to celebrate. Higson’s sold out to Boddington’s of Manchester in 1985: when Boddington’s decided to concentrate on pub ownership just five years later, it sold its breweries to Whitbread, and the landmark Stanhope Street Brewery was closed.

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Images by kind permission of Liverpool Daily Post and Echo