Theakston's Carlisle Brewery

Theakston's Carlisle Brewery is a brewery complex dating largely to the early and late 19th century, with possible 18th-century fabric. It is located on Bridge Street in Caldewgate, Carlisle, and is now partially converted into a Hall of Residence for the University of Northumbria. The building is constructed of red brick with Welsh and Lakeland slate roofs. It consists of five parallel ranges, a tower, and a chimney. The ranges are three stories high, presenting five gables to the river. The gables, with the two on the left being larger, feature multi-brace king post truss infill and are topped by gabled vents. The four-story tower has plain openings, a pyramid roof, a gabled dormer on each face, and a decorative iron fence to the apex platform. A tall, tapering square stone chimney is also present. The elevations feature many segmental-headed windows with stone sills and a number of altered doorways. The interior retains little of its original character, although three ranges of wide-span king post roofs at right angles to the river remain. These roofs are bolted and strapped with iron and are of 19th-century origin. The brewery opened in 1756 as Atkinson and Son, and while some earlier buildings are indicated on a city plan of 1794, the core of the present building is shown on a plan from 1864. Subsequently, it was built by Sir Richard Hodgson and remained in operation until nationalisation in 1916, becoming part of the Liquor Control Board and later the Carlisle and District State Management Scheme. It was de-nationalised in 1971 and sold to Theakston's in 1974. Following a period of dereliction, planning permission was granted to demolish a substantial part of the 19th-century section and refurbish the remainder. The buildings were originally developed as maltings and adapted for brewing. The building is included on the list partly for its historical interest.