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James Arkell (pictured right) was born in 1951 and by the time he became a director in 1973 he had already learned the art of brewing at the Donnington Brewery near Stow-on-the-Wold, owned by second cousin Claude Arkell, and with spells at Baird's the maltsters and Bass. James is now managing director and deputy chairman.
The Seventies and Eighties saw Arkell's secure itself an enviable reputation among lovers of traditional beer as the consumer revolution set off by the Campaign for Real Ale left the company well placed to take advantage of beer drinkers' discerning attitude towards the quality of beer.
If the 150th anniversary celebrations in 1993 were a time for looking back to Arkell's magnificent past, the 1990s were also a time for the business to look forward to the future with confidence.
A wholesale disposal of Whitbread pubs saw Arkell's buy up and breathe new life into eight pubs in Gloucester and Cheltenham in 1991 and this was to herald an expansion even more rapid than the one masterminded by John Arkell in the last century. The brewery now has pubs in places as far away as Oxford, Newbury and Ascot and a busy free trade, mainly through the Thames Valley and into London.
Meanwhile, the original bottling store, which closed in 1983, was replaced in 1997 by a new, high-tech plant which is ensuring that Arkell's customers can once again enjoy their beer at home.
Now with 97 pubs under its wing - many of them extensively refurbished - Arkell's is not only ready for whatever changes the 21st century will bring to its business and its products, but it is relishing the challenge.
The late Dave Backhouse, chairman of the Swindon branch of CAMRA, said: "Given its combination of tradition and efficiency, we can hope for a long and prosperous future for this well-run local company."
We'll drink to that.
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