Ladies & Gentlemen, former colleagues, friends.
First may I wish you all a very warm welcome to Horam Village Hall.
I felt I couldn
First it is to commemorate and celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the founding of Merrydown Wine Company in November 1946. Secondly it is to have a last official Merrydown reunion now that the company is no longer an independent entity, and the Horam site is about to be demolished. And lastly it is to let you know how the Merrydown Trust’s money has been spent now that it is being wound up.’s enthusiasm for fruit wines, which he had made pre war, and Ian Howie’s brewing up of Red Cross parcel dried fruit in prisoner of war camps, that led to their forming a company to make red currant wine and vintage cider. The raw materials for both were plentifully available close to Jack Ward’s house, Merrydown, in Rotherfield, which not only provided the company name but where in the garage, on a borrowed press, they made their first 400 gallons of cider, and, much to Mrs Ward’s dismay, fermented their redcurrant wine in the one and only bath, staining it bright pink!’s. It’s principal objective, as approved by the Inland Revenue, was to maintain employment in Sussex, the intention being that by gradually buying up a controlling shareholding the Trust could preserve the independence of Merrydown and thereby keep the jobs it provided in Horam. You may not have known so at the time but there was never a shortage of suitors to buy the company, all of whom were politely shown the door, but once we became a public company, in 1981, owned mainly by institutional shareholders, it was far more difficult, and after a run of great success through the 1980’s the far more difficult climate of the ‘90’s was also the company’s ultimate undoing. Sadly the Trust failed in its original objective, because Merrydown never made sufficient profits to buy back enough shares to wield any voting influence. But a small shareholding did build up and when SHS bought the business in 2005 the Trust had shares with a net worth of about £130,000. In winding up the Merrydown Trust the Trustees were obliged to observe the spirit of its original purpose.
Throughout the Second World War three young Eastbourne friends, Ian Howie, Jack Ward and John Kellond-Knight, had each dreamed of working for themselves once hostilities ended. It was Jack Ward
This led to finding suitable and, more to the point, affordable alternative premises, and they chanced upon the burned out ruin of Horam Manor in 1947, moving in that summer. The rest is history, and you all know it as well as I do, but it is worth mentioning that for several years it was touch and go and a real struggle for the company to survive. That it did so speaks volumes for the faith of the founders , and that it went on to flourish is down to them and all those wonderful people who in many different capacities over the next six decades put their backs into making Merrydown the best cider in the land.
It is therefore my great pleasure on behalf of the Merrydown Trust to welcome you all here this afternoon / evening to remember those now distant days and to meet former colleagues and friends. It is wonderful to see you all and thank you for taking the time and trouble, and in many instances going to considerable expense, to be with us here this afternoon/evening.
The Merrydown Trust was the brainchild of Ian Howie, and was established in the early 1970
Thus it was that we decided to donate £50,000 each to two Sussex universities operating faculties which we feel would have particularly appealed to Jack Ward and Ian Howie. In both instances the Trust’s donations have been enhanced by a 50% top up grant to the universities from central government ,thus making them worth £75,000 pounds in each case.
The payment In memory of Ian Howie went to the Honey Bee Research faculty at Sussex University, and for Jack Ward for the English Wine faculty at Plumpton College, part of the University of Brighton. Those of you who remember Ian and Jack will also remember their passionate interest in these particular subjects. And we felt that they would both have thoroughly approved of these donations being made to help educate future generations of English wine producers and producers of honey and honey related products.’s Anniversary Party from start to finish. Thank you all.
The small residual balance left in the Trust has been used to fund this Anniversary party, with anything left over distributed amongst Merrydown pensioners living locally.
Last but not least may I take this opportunity to thank Chris Carr and Philip Baines for their work as Trustees, and especially Sue Howe, Claire Jenkins, Andrea Smith and Nigel Pyle for all their efforts in having organized today
Inevitably with the passing of the years there are many former colleagues, too numerous to mention by name , and not least the founder s, who are sadly no longer with us, but are never forgotten. Tonight is a great opportunity to remember them all, as well as those who are still with us but are not able to be here. Will you join me in a toast to the happy memory of Merrydown, and to our absent friends.
Merrydown and absent friends.’t let this occasion pass without saying a few words about why we are here.
