Maltings Approximately 10 Metres South West Of The Old Farmhouse, Style Place

Disused Maltings and Brewery

This late 19th-century maltings and brewery building, built for the Simmons brewery, stands approximately 10 metres south west of The Old Farmhouse at Style Place. It is constructed of Flemish bond brick on ragstone foundations, with decorative polychrome brickwork notably visible in the distribution sheds. The main maltings and brewery building is roofed in slate, while the distribution sheds have peg-tile roofs.

The maltings and brewery is built on a south east to north west axis, forming the core of the brewery complex. It originally extended further at both ends, though the south eastern end has been demolished—this was probably a loading shed, as evidenced by loading hatches and hoists still visible in the existing end wall. A wing of distribution sheds projects at right angles from the rear of the right end.

The main building is 2 storeys with storage bins in the attics and a barrel cellar in the basement. The distribution sheds are mostly 2 storeys.

The south west facing long side displays regular but asymmetrical fenestration: 7 ground floor windows and 4 first floor windows, all with segmental arch heads, fitted with original horizontal sliding 8-pane sashes. Loading hatch doorways to both floors are positioned left of centre, with the ground floor hatch opening onto a loading platform and the first floor hatch fitted with a cast iron girder for a hoist. Another first floor loading hatch sits near the right end. The roof is gable-ended, with end walls incorporating parts of former internal brick crosswalls and otherwise clad in corrugated iron. The rear elevation displays similar fenestration to the front.

The distribution sheds are more ornamental. Originally three ran under parallel roofs, though the outer north eastern shed was demolished following a fire. They face north west. Each gabled bay contains a large doorway, both rebuilt in the 20th century, and all have 4 first floor windows with segmental arch heads. The right shed windows are louvred, whilst the left shed (formerly in the centre) has blind windows. A bullseye window appears in the right gable and a round clock face in the left gable. Both gables feature ornamental bargeboards shaped like a Vitruvian scroll, with timber finials and pendants. The rear elevation employs polychrome brick with all first floor windows louvred.

The basement has ragstone walls, a paved floor with drainage channels, and a brick vaulted ceiling supported on cast iron columns. The remainder of the building features plain heavy scantling carpentry. The ground floor comprises 8 bays with massive crossbeams, each propped by 2 iron columns. First floor ceiling beams are the roof truss tie-beams. The tie-beams of the south eastern 4 bays are carried on massive axial beams, as are the other tie-beams, all supported on iron columns. The roof is of tie-beam and queen post construction, with trusses dividing the attic space into storage bins—a couple of which retain matchwood plank linings.

According to the owners' research, Style Place Brewery was run by the Simmons and Martin partnership between 1852 and 1902. An inventory of 1863 lists the brewery equipment and details 13 public houses in the area owned by the brewery, as well as the associated farms at Style Place and Boormans Farm. The maltings and brewery is the largest building on a site that includes other ancillary buildings and The Old Farmhouse, Style Place.