26/01/2009 by andycan.

The new brewery photos part of the web site is excellent. I am pleased that it provides addresses for the breweries - the Century book does not always do this and it is often very hard to find them, even if you know they are there somewhere!

For some of the breweries, only photos of the signs are given. Could you please also provide a general picture of the building to provide some context, e.g Moors and Robsons, Parkers and Richmond Brewery? I would make the same point for pubs showing defunct livery - I would like to see a picture of the pub as well as the individual sign or window.

Do we send brewery photos to the same address as that for defunct liveries of pubs?

Posted in Brewery remains, Defunct Brewery Liveries | No Comments »

13/01/2009 by andycan.

I am confused by the history of brewing at the Masons Arms, Cartmel, Cumbria and wonder if someone could clarify it for me.

The Century of British Brewers says the Strawberry Bank Brewery started there 1990 and finished 2002. A 2000 CAMRA GBG I have says Strawberry Bank is the new name for the brewery at the pub as Lakeland have moved out, to Kendal. The same Century book shows the Lakeland Brewing Co in Kendal 1998 - 2000.

I have a picture of the Mason’s Arms from May 1995 in which there is  a sign saying ‘Home of the Lakeland Brewing Company’.

So can anyone clarify the history of brewing at the Mason’s Arms please? My interest was only aroused by my old photo!

Posted in Brewery Queries | 2 Comments »

12/01/2009 by Mike Andrew.

My wife’s late grandfather, Albert Spencer, assisted his father with the brewing at the original Marquis of Granby in Leeds. I am grateful to http://www.leodis.net/ from which I have established that the Marquis was located at the corner of Lady Lane and St Peter’s Street (Leodis quotes its address as, variously, 56 St Peter’s Street or 56 Lady Lane) and had been rebuilt in 1897.  The brewhouse supplied the inn with its own ale, and closed in 1931. The pub closed on 9th February 1933 and, together with the brewhouse, was demolished shortly afterwards for road-widening. A new Marquis of Granby was built in Eastgate and opened the day after the old inn closed - on 10th February 1933; this was closed in 1984.

The first view is of the Lady Lane frontage of the pub, circa 1920. Leodis notes that “a large barrel is suspended above the tiled facade, while a sign surrounding the building states, the establishment to be, ‘Brewers and Whiskey Merchants, Wine and Spirit Importers and Bonders’. Products advertised include Martell’s brandy and Bass ales”.

The second is the side view (St Peter’s Street) with Middleton Passage through the round arch in the terrace of house, centre of shot (23rd April 1914).

Third and fourth photos are the important ones - views of the back of the pub from Middleton (or “Middleston’s”) Passage, showing the brewhouse.

 The photos are from the Leodis site and out of copyright; better quality prints can be ordered from that site, where further archive photos of this and other breweries/pubs are to be found. Hope some of you found this of interest. - Mike

Posted in Yorkshire, buildings, architecture | 2 Comments »

12/01/2009 by andycan.

I applaud the defunct brewery section and often refer to it before I visit a town to see if there is a pub worth seeing. I hope that the ‘brewery remains’ section you are starting can also be used by me in a similar fashion. For this reason the sites should be maintained up-to-date to reflect the current state of pubs and breweries.

The defunct brewery section shows photographic evidence of old brewery liveries, and also notes when these have been removed by a landlord or pub company. The photos are then usually removed. Should we not retain an archive of these so that we can see what these brewery liveries used to look like? There are thousands of photos out there that could be used for this. I have a number of photos that I have taken over the last 30 years that cannot be uploaded to the current site as the pubs no longer exhibit the old livery. History is therefore lost. We could index this archive in many ways, by location, by brewery, by date of photo for starters. I fear that the current site is going to get smaller and smaller as the pubs are “updated”.

I would apply the same logic to brewery, rather than pub,  photos. 

I presume it is not easy to upload all the old photos of pubs and breweries which exist as there is copyright on the photos, or does this expire at a certain age? However, at least members photos could be retained.

I would value discussion on such an archive, how far it should go back, and the photos that could be included in it.

Posted in buildings, Brewery remains, Defunct Brewery Liveries | 2 Comments »