Vat House, Truman's Brewery is a Grade II listed building in the Tower Hamlets local planning authority area, England. First listed on 18 July 1949. Office, warehouse. 2 related planning applications.

Vat House, Truman's Brewery

WRENN ID
crumbling-casement-alder
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Tower Hamlets
Constituency
Bethnal Green and Stepney MP: Rushanara Ali (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
18 July 1949
Type
Office, warehouse
Address
Vat House, Truman's Brewery, 148, Brick Lane E1, E1 6RU
OS grid reference
TQ 338 820
Coordinates
51.52131, -0.07157
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Vat House at Truman's Brewery is a former vat house that has been converted into offices and stores. It was built around 1800, with a half-basement and ground floor remodeled in the 1840s, along with later alterations. The building is constructed of stock brick with stone bands and copings and features two storeys, an attic, and a semi-basement that is accessed at ground level from a two-storey projecting rear. The symmetrical front facing Brick Lane has three bays, with a blind ground floor except for the central six-panelled double doors set in a stone surround with console brackets and a pediment. The first floor and attic are lit by three round-arched tripartite metal windows, with the attic housing the mechanism for the clock in the pediment, which is supported by stone brackets and iron tie-plates. A hexagonal cupola with a weathervane crowns the building.

Inside, the notable feature is a forest of iron columns with capitals and I-section girders that were added in the 1840s. This structure is fully visible in the semi-basement, where it supports a stone flagged floor that suggests fireproof construction. There are signs of a similar system on the ground floor, which has been subdivided. The staircase features later panelling, and the stair from the first floor to the attic is made of iron, with an iron stick balustrade that includes small volutes.

The buildings of Black Eagle Brewery, located on both sides of Brick Lane, form a cohesive group.

Local climate

Vat House, Truman's Brewery sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 2 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. Engineer's House, Truman's Brewery Grade II 16 m
  2. Black Eagle Brewery Grade II 22 m
  3. The Directors' House, Truman Brewery Grade II* 39 m
  4. Former Stables at Truman's Brewery Grade II 47 m
  5. Brewmaster's House, Trumans Brewery Grade II 50 m
  6. 24 and 26, Hanbury Street E1 Grade II 147 m
  7. 18, WILKES STREET E1 (See details for further address information) Grade II 167 m
  8. 21, 23, 25, Princelet Street E1 Grade II 169 m
  9. 19, Princelet Street E1 Grade II* 173 m
  10. 16, Wilkes Street E1 Grade II 173 m