Wells & Co. (formerly Charles Wells Ltd) is the holding company of the Charles Wells Brewery and Pub Company (a pub chain). Charles Wells Ltd was founded in 1876 by Charles Wells in Bedford, England. The Charles Wells Pub Company controls over 200 leased and tenanted public houses in England. The company also directly owns and manages 13 pubs in France (under the name John Bull Pub Company) and several managed houses in England under the Apostrophe Pubs and Pizza, Pots and Pints brands. Charles Wells sold its Bedford based brewery and most of its beer brands to Marston's in May 2017, for £55m. Brands sold to them included Young's, Courage and McEwan's beers, along with contract beers, such as Kirin Ichiban and UK distribution rights to Estrella, Erdinger, Founders Brewing Company, Devil's Peak Brewing Company and Small Town Brewery. Charles Wells did, however, retain its Charlie Wells brands. History Charles Wells Ltd (also known as Charles Wells Brewery and Pub Company, and previously as Charles Wells Family Brewery) was founded by Charles Wells in 1876. In 1875, a 2¼-acre site came to auction on the banks of the River Ouse as it ran through Bedford. This site contained both a coal depot and a brew house; included in the price were 35 pubs, mainly in Bedford and the surrounding area. Wells thought that beer would always be in demand, and with the help of his father-in-law he purchased the site and began work to turn the small brew house into a fully fledged brewery which could serve the county. As water is an essential ingredient for any beer, Wells believed that good quality water is vital to create the best beer. In 1902, Wells climbed a local hill a couple of miles from the brewery and sank his own well to tap into an underground reservoir of water, purified through layers of chalk and limestone. All beers to this day, both their own and under licence, are made with the certified mineral water drawn from this well. By 1976, exactly 100 years since the company was established, the brewing operation moved from the Horne Lane site to a new site, the Eagle Brewery on Havelock Street. The move came about due to an increased demand for the company's beers, spurred on by a deal with Red Stripe brewery Desnoes & Geddes. This offered the company the chance to install