Maltings at Former Buckley's Brewery

Cadw's description

Location

Prominently sited to the north of the town centre, on the north bank of the River Lliedi.

History

Industrial activity on the site can be traced back to the C18: an exisiting malthouse was aquired in the 1760's by Henry Child, founder of the business which became Buckley's Brewery. A new malthouse was constructed in 1794, SW of the present building. In the early C19, the business was considerably expanded by the Reverend James Buckley (1770-1839), and his son, also James, who managed the company from 1839-1882. In their hands, the brewing side of the trade was developed, from the 1830's and especially from the 1860's, resulting in an enterprise of considerable size. The present building forms part of this development and expansion, and was built between 1852 and 1866, before the site was dominated by brewing. Essentially it was built to produce malt for sale, and was built with an integral barley kiln. The tower brewery and a second maltings which was added to the site between 1866-1878 have now been demolished.

Exterior

Large industrial maltings with attached barley kiln. Local stone with dressed quoins and voussoirs, slate roofs with brick dentilled course to eaves. The maltings is 4-storeyed with basement, and 8 bays. Its SE elevation facing the river has two wide segmentally arched openings and a narrower arched doorway to the basement, then 8 small windows on each floor, with shallow arched heads with voussoirs and distinctive long skewback blocks. Minimal disturbance to the rhythm of these openings, some of which retain timber slats. North elevation is similarly detailed, and although there has been greater disturbance to the fenestration pattern, the original arrangement remains relatively clear. Some damage in eastern-most bay, including partial loss of gable wall. Barley kiln adjoins the western-most gable: a two storeyed structure, square in plan and with a pyramidal roof terminating in a truncated wooded cowl. Lower openings altered or inserted but original window with similar detail to that of malting range survives in the upper storey.

Interior

The building has the large open floor areas with relatively low ceilings which are characteristic of a floor maltings, and the main structure survives substantially intact, comprising two rows of cast-iron columns supporting timber cross beams on shaped bearers on each floor. Wooden floors largely survive, though missing in eastern bays where hoppers were later inserted. Kiln structure lost from barley kiln.

Reason for designation

Listed (notwithstanding condition) as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a large-scale floor maltings with barley kiln, retaining its original structure substantially intact, and with good industrial character. An important survivor of a significant local industry.