Malthouse

This malthouse, now part of the former Mitchell's Brewery complex, dates from the 18th century. The architect is unknown.

Materials and Construction

The building is constructed of stone rubble with stone lintels on the exterior and timber lintels internally. It has concrete and timber floors beneath a roof covered in asbestos sheeting.

Plan

The malthouse is rectangular in plan.

Exterior

Heavy vegetation growth masks much of the east and south sides of the building. The west and north sides are abutted by the south wing, north wing, and a former brewhouse known as the 'low tower'.

On the long east elevation, two small blocked windows are visible towards the south end, each positioned at different floor levels. The south gable displays two stone lintels towards the apex with a straight joint visible below them.

The west elevation, facing the former yard, has had a large modern door inserted at ground floor level. Brick pillars have been built against this elevation to support a modern roof structure over the yard. The lower part of the wall on either side of the modern door has been rendered, and there are two blocked windows to the right of the door, each at different floor levels.

Interior

The malthouse comprises three full storeys, a boarded roof space or attic, and a basement or sunken ground floor of uncertain extent. Ceiling beams divide the interior into thirteen bays, though the roof structure—which appears contemporary with the floors—consists of a smaller number of longer bays. This arrangement probably indicates that the main floors were intended to support considerably greater loads than the roof space floor.

The east wall shows evidence of phased construction. Its five southern bays and two northern bays are distinguished from the remaining six bays by a straight joint in the masonry and by the use of crude rubble corbels supporting the beam ends. The six intervening bays are characterised by dressed quarter-round corbels which match those found on the west wall.

The concrete ground floor ramps up to a slightly higher level at the southern end of the building and does not correspond to the original floor level. Corbels at the northern end of the east wall indicate that the early ground floor was raised over a basement which was at a lower level than the present concrete floor. The original ground floor timbers do not survive, but they were set slightly above the level of the present concrete floor. In the building's north-east corner there is a brick-lined sump or well from where water for the brewery was pumped.

The upper timber floor structure consists of softwood beams with irregular joists and appears consistent throughout the building, suggesting that the five southern and two northern bays of the east wall have been retained from an earlier structure or structures. The roof features king-post trusses with notched-in struts and iron stirrups at the feet of the king-posts. The floor frames are largely intact apart from the northernmost bays, where the beams survive but not the joists or floorboards.

At the northern end of the building against the west wall, there is evidence for a stair position. In the floor of the lowest timber floor there is a trap for either a stair or a hoist in the fifth bay from the south.

Virtually all the building's windows have been blocked. They appear to have been spaced regularly in alternate bays along each of the long walls as well as the south gable wall. There is also an external first floor door in the second bay from the north on the east wall. In the north wall there is a blocked attic-level doorway that formerly led into the adjoining 'low tower'.

All the original roof trusses appear to survive, although a number have had struts removed and the purlins appear to be replacements.

History

The precise date when malting and brewing commenced on this site cannot be verified. There is a datestone of 1669 on the gable of the north wing of the brewery complex facing onto Brewery Lane, but this is thought to have been reused in the 19th century. No brewery is shown on the Docton map of 1684.

Initial results of tree-ring analysis undertaken in December 2009 on in situ timbers from ground floor ceiling beams in the malthouse indicate that they were of Polish origin and the trees were probably felled and used in the mid-1750s. The brewery appears on the Mackreth map of Lancaster dated 1778, depicted in plan as a C-shaped complex of ranges grouped around the north, south and east sides of a yard opening onto Brewery Lane on the west. The malthouse forms the larger southern portion of the east range as shown on the Mackreth map.

From around 1800 to 1811 the brewery was owned by John Proctor, after which it was bought by the Walker family of Preston. The brewery was advertised for sale or rent in the Lancaster Guardian of 12 February 1831, consisting of a 'brewery, malt kiln, warehouse, stable, yards, and other premises'. In 1833 the brewery was owned by a Mr Townley of Blackburn. Around the middle years of the 19th century, brewing appears to have ceased for a time.

About 1872 the site came into the possession of the firm of Jackson & Yates, who operated as maltsters only. Towards the end of that decade the title of the firm changed to Yates & Jackson, and soon after this the business was extended with brewing recommencing. New buildings were added, and some existing buildings were converted while others were demolished.

In 1901 the architect W. Arthur Deighton of Manchester prepared plans, which were executed, for a major extension to the north side of the brewery complex.

By 1969 an open yard between the malthouse and Brewery Lane had been enclosed by the construction of a modern west wall and roofed over. Brick pillars were built against part of the malthouse's west wall as roof supports. The malthouse is thought to have ceased being used as such at an unspecified date during the 20th century. Also at an unspecified date in the 20th century, it was re-roofed using asbestos sheeting.

In 1984 Yates & Jackson was taken over by Thwaites and the brewery sold to Mitchells. Mitchell's ceased brewing here in 1999 but have continued use of a modern distribution warehouse on the northern part of the site.

Significance

The malthouse is designated for its architectural and historical importance. It is a rare surviving example of a multi-floored 18th-century maltings built on an industrial rather than rural scale. It is one of only a small number of surviving maltings in north-west England, an area outside the traditional 'malting counties' of England. Dendrochronological dating has shown that the timbers used in the maltings originated in Poland, enhancing our knowledge of the trading links associated with the Port of Lancaster during the 18th century.