Window at Shakespeare's Ale House, Gibraltar Street, Sheffield. The Ward's Sheaf Brewery was on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield and was acquired by Septimus Henry Ward in the 1870s. In 1972, S H Ward & Co. Ltd was acquired by Vaux & Associated Breweries and continued to brew bitter as a subsidiary. Despite still being profitable, the brewery was closed in 1999. The Wards brand was bought by the Double Maxim Beer Company in 2003 and is run as a subsidiary called Ward's Brewing Company.