The embossed insignia on the face of the subject bottle (or what’s left of it) consisting of a wagon wheel with the embossed letters “E R’ at the top and “& Co.” below, served as the clever trademark for a mineral water manufacturer and bottler that operated in Belfast, Northern Ireland under the name of Wheeler & Co. from the early 1860’s up through 1947. This advertisement exhibiting their “wheel” trademark appeared in the advertising section of the “Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory” in 1884
In addition to bottling their own manufactured waters, the company also served as a bottler for other manufacturers, “Guiness Stout” and “Bass Ale” to name a few, all of which were bottled under what they called their “Wheel Brand.”
The company got its start, not as a mineral water manufacturer or bottler but as an apothecary business whose roots were established in April, 1852 with the opening of the Belfast Apothecaries’ Hall at 33 High Street. An item announcing the opening appeared in several editions of the “Belfast News-Letter.”
Five years later, in 1857, another advertisement for the Apothecaries’ Hall associated it with W. J. Wheeler & Company, short for Walter James Wheeler. The ad published in several October, 1857 editions of the “Belfast News-Letter” named the company as agents for a wide range of proprietary medicines and medical products.
The advertisement went on to say:
THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE COMPOUNDING of Physicians’ and Surgeons’ Prescriptions is under the charge of Mr. HENRY WHITAKER, Licentiate Apothecary, formerly of Butler’s Medical Hall, Dublin.
At this point while Wheeler and Whitaker were both involved in the business, they were apparently not in total control. That would change less than a year later when this announcement, dated May 1, 1858, appeared in several May editions of the “Belfast News-Letter”under the heading:
The announcement read:
WALTER J.WHEELER & HENRY WHITAKER respectfully intimate to the Medical Profession and the Public that they have assumed the entire control and management of the above Establishment, and that, it will be conducted by them. Their devoting themselves exclusively to the business of the Apothecary and Pharmaceutical Chemist, and living on the Premises (thereby insuring their constant superintendence), are the surest guarantees that the interests of the public will be properly attended to.
The announcement went on to describe the fledgling operation.
THE RETAIL DEPARTMENT will be always well supplied with the purest Drugs and Chemicals, Patent Medicines, Perfumery, Toilet Requisites, and all other articles usually kept in first-class Medical Establishments.
THE COMPOUNDING DEPARTMENT will be under the management of Henry Whitaker, Surgeon and Licentiate Apothecary, formerly of Dr. Butler’s Medical Hall, Dublin, who confines himself exclusively to the business of the Apothecary, abstaining altogether from Medical practice, in order that he may be enabled to devote his entire time to this Department, which will be constantly supplied, not only with all Medicines in general use, but also with all the new preparations, as they are brought under the notice of the Profession; so that Medical Gentlemen may rely upon having their prescriptions properly compounded and their views fully carried out.
1st May, 1858
Several years later, the partnership of Wheeler & Whitaker, trading under the Wheeler & Co. name, introduced their “Aerated Waters” to the public. This April 29, 1862 advertisement published in the “Belfast News-Letter” suggested they were first put on the market in the Fall of 1861.
As early as 1864, this June 30th advertisement published in the “Glasgow Herald” stated that the water used in the manufacture of their aerated waters was obtained from a series of wells located in the vicinity of Cromac Street in Belfast, later referred to as the Coromac Springs. The advertisement read, in part:
Wheeler & Co.’s Aerated Waters prepared with Water from the celebrated Cromac Springs at Belfast, the great purity of which peculiarly adapts it to this purpose, and are of uniform strength and peculiarly fine flavor. Every bottle of the genuine article bears the name “Wheeler & Co.” on the label.
In 1865, according to a summary of court proceedings, “Wheeler Co. v. James Johnston,” published in the November 13, 1877 edition of the “Belfast Evening Telegraph,” the company established a manufacturing facility at one of the Cromac well sites.
… Messrs. Wheeler & Whitaker traded at Belfast under the style of Wheeler & Co., and had an extensive business as manufacturers of aerated and mineral waters. The affidavit of Messrs Wheeler & Whitaker stated that in May, 1865, they took a lease of certain premises in Murphy Street, Belfast. A valuable well existing on the premises afforded a large supply of water of a very pure quality, and formed one of a number of wells in the neighborhood of Cromac Street, used formerly for the water supply to Belfast for domestic purposes. Wheeler & Whitaker erected machinery and works and commenced their business operations, which they had since carried on using exclusively the water of the well in question. Soon afterwards Wheeler & Whitaker adopted for their works the name of “Cromac Springs…”
In addition to their Belfast facilities, by 1868 the company had also established a presence in Dublin and Glasgow. Both are mentioned in this advertisement that appeared in the March 3, 1869 edition of the “Belfast News-Letter.”
By 1870, in addition to bottling their own beverages, Wheeler & Co. was also bottling those of other manufacturers under their “Wheel” trademark. This brief item touting Guinness Porter began appearing in the “Belfast News-Letter” as early as March 3, 1870.
If you want Guinness’s XX Porter, in Bottle, unmixed, ask for it labeled with the “Wheel” Trade Mark.
The following year the trademark itself began appearing in their Guinness advertisements as evidenced by a series of March, 1871 advertisements found in both the “Belfast Evening Telegraph” and “Belfast Evening News.”
Other brands were added over the next couple of years including HENLEY & SONS’ CIDER, touted in this April 26, 1871 “Belfast Evening Telegraph” advertisement…
… and Bass, Allsopp, Ind and Cooper’s mentioned in another “Belfast Evening Telegraph” advertisement, this one in their January 7, 1873 edition.
At the same time, the apothecary and chemist portion of the business continued to operate out of 33 High Street before moving to 37 High Street in 1881.
During this time they were associated with a number of patent medicines some of which they also manufactured including “Wheeler & Whitaker’s Balm of Licorice.”
Things changed in 1882, when two separate dissolution notices effectively transitioned the business into separately owned entities. The first, executed on April 13, 1882, dissolved the partnership associated with the Apothecary/Chemist portion of the business, leaving it in Whittaker’s hands.
A little over a month later this advertisement published in the May 24, 1882 edition of the “Belfast News-Letter” named Henry Whitaker, proprietor of The Belfast Apothecaries’ Hall, “Late Wheeler & Whitaker.”
As far as I can tell, not long after he gained control, Whitaker turned the Apothecary business over to William Hanbury who in 1890 declared bankruptcy. This notice dated January 24, 1890 announcing the bankruptcy sale appeared in the February 13, 1890 edition of the “Belfast News-Letter.
Three months later, a May 17, 1890 item in the “Belfast Evening Telegraph” announced that the
THE PRESCRIPTION BOOKS, PROPRIETARY RIGHTS and the VARIOUS FORMULAE of the SPECIAL PREPARATIONS of MESSRS. WHEELER & WHITAKER (Belfast Apothecaries’ Hall) HAVE BEEN PURCHASED by their late Senior Assistant, MR. T. N. MOFFIT…
Meanwhile, back in 1882, a second dissolution notice, this one dated October 16, 1882, put the manufacturing of aerated waters and bottling operation solely in the hands of Walter J. Wheeler. That notice appeared in the October 20, 1882 edition of the “Belfast News-Letter.”
A year later, according to a May 16 1883 story in the “Belfast Evening Telegraph” some of their bottled porter and ale was making its way across the Atlantic.
LARGE SHIPMENT OF BOTTLED BEER TO AMERICA. – At present Messrs. Wheeler & Co. are delivering at Prince’s Dock, Belfast, 400 barrels of porter and ale in bottles, for transshipment into lighters for conveyance alongside the Dominion Line steamer Toronto, which vessel will arrive in Belfast Lough on Friday morning for Quebec and Montreal. By the steamer Montreal, on Friday last, Messrs. Wheeler & Co. shipped a similar quantity, and on following weeks like shipments will be made by this firm.
In April, 1890 Walter James Wheeler passed away with the business continuing under the management of his son Frederick. After Walter’s death it appears that the company remained closely held by the Wheeler family until 1895 when they offered a portion of his stock for sale in an effort to realize his estate. The offer appeared in the May 3, 1895 edition of the “Belfast News-Letter.”
That said, during the late 1890’s, this item that appeared in the September 20, 1898 edition of the “Glasgow Herald” suggested that the company continued to be quite successful.
MESSRS WHEELER & CO., LTD., BELFAST have secured the honor of having their famed “WHEEL BRAND” AERATED MINERAL WATERS chosen as being most suitable for the use of the British Troops in Egypt; also the British expeditions from Lagos and Sierra Leone to Central Africa were supplied entirely with the Waters manufactured from the famous Cromac Springs of which WHEELER & CO., LTD., BELFAST are the Sole Proprietors.
In fact, in 1899 an August 28th advertisement in the “Belfast News-Letter” indicated they were planning an expansion of their Belfast facilities at the time.
As far as I can tell, the Wheeler family continued their involvement with the business until 1923 when a February 23rd notice announced the stockholders had decided to liquidate.
At this point it was acquired by a man named George A. Davidson who several years later was adjudged bankrupt on December 16, 1927.
Later, according to a July 19, 1947 item in the “Belfast Telegraph”
An offer of composition was made and accepted by his creditors and the money had been lodged with the official assignee for the payment of the composition.
As a result Davidson was apparently able to continue operations in Belfast. Though likely not a large operation and certainly not a heavy advertiser there are signs that the company remained active into the 1940’s. Both their Belfast Ginger Ale and “Anti Laria” Tonic Water were listed in the “Grocery and Provision Merchant Directory of Brands, Trademarks and Trade Names” in 1930 and, as late as 1939 the company was included on this list of Belfast and Ulster mineral water manufacturers published in the October 3, 1939 edition of the “Belfast Telegraph.”
Ultimately Davison, trading as Wheeler & Co., declared bankruptcy again, this time in 1947 with the notice appearing in the May 14th edition of the “Belfast Telegraph.”
This time, according to the July 19, 1947 “Belfast Telegraph” story the bankruptcy was annulled by the Lord Chief Justice in the Ulster High Court due to the actions taken in the 1927 bankruptcy case. That said, as far as I can tell, this marked the end of Wheeler & Co. as a mineral water manufacturer and bottler.
The bottle I found was blown in a mold and likely had a blob finish at one time. In addition to the “Wheel” trademark embossed on the face of the bottle, embossing on the shoulder includes the representation of four gold medals (two on each side) and reads: ” Belfast 1895 Gold Medals.”
The base is embossed with a large capital “W’ which I assume stands for “Wheeler.”
Th bottle most closely resembles the Belfast Ginger Ale bottle pictured on the far left in the following January 1, 1890 advertisement published in the “British Trade Journal,” though it does have a flat bottom as opposed to the rounded one pictured.
While not heavily advertised in the United States, references to Wheeler’s Belfast Ginger Ale sporadically appear in U.S. newspaper advertisements between 1884 and the mid-teens. This likely dates the bottle between 1895 (the date embossed on the bottle) and the mid-teens.