Traditional Pint of bitter on the bar, at the George & Dragon pub, Great Budworth Village, Cheshire, England

J.W. Lees is a brewery in Middleton, Greater Manchester, that has produced real ale since 1828. The brewery owns and operates 140 pubs, mainly in North West England and North Wales. It also owns wine distributor Willoughby's. The brewery was formed in 1828 when retired cotton manufacturer John Lees purchased land in Middleton, Lancashire and built Greengate Brewery, from which the company still operates. The company was renamed J.W. Lees & Co. Brewers when his grandson, John William Lees, took over the company in 1876. The company is still family owned and operated. When William, Simon, Christina and Michael Lees-Jones joined Richard and Christopher at J.W. Lees in the 1990s, they were the sixth generation from the founder. In 2004, Greengate Brewery featured in the television show Most Haunted, and in 2003 HRH Charles, Prince of Wales visited to celebrate the brewery's 175th anniversary.