The Old Brewery House

A former brewer’s house, dating from about 1760; the attached theatre and arts centre are not included in the listing.

MATERIALS: red brick with rubbed brick dressings and plain clay tile roofs.

PLAN: the house is broadly rectangular on plan, with the north end slightly angled to create a less regular, double-pile footprint, with the entrance to the west.

EXTERIOR: the building is a double-pile house of two storeys and three bays, built in red brick laid in Flemish bond, with plain clay tile roofs, and brick gable-end stacks. The windows, in rubbed-brick, flat-arched openings, are later horned sashes. The principal (west) elevation has a central entrance with a semi-circular headed opening over fluted pilasters. The recessed doorway has panelled reveals and a semi-circular fanlight over a six-panelled door. To either side on the ground floor are shallow canted bay windows. The central first-floor window is six-over-six panes, flanked by tripartite windows of six-over-six panes with two-over-two panes to the margins. The south gable ends are rendered to a height of about 1m, and are blind apart from one small timber casement window at ground-floor level. The rear elevation is obscured at ground-floor level by later additions. The first floor has six-over-six sash windows to either side of a long stair window whose semi-circular head has spider-web glazing.

INTERIOR: the ground floor of the western range has been opened up into a single space, though wall stubs and beams indicate the former layout, of two rooms to either side of a central hall. The room has a short length of moulded cornice above the front door, and further, flat moulded cornice at the north end of the room. It retains its moulded skirtings and door surrounds, chair and picture rails and the bay windows have panelled reveals. The rooms to the rear have in part been subdivided, but retain some cornice and their door surrounds. The former kitchen has a very wide arched recess. The stair remains in its original position; it is has a small open well and an open string with applied brackets and slender stick balusters, turned newel posts and ramped handrails. The first-floor landing has a curving gallery. It retains a moulded cornice, much overpainted. A segmental-arched opening on moulded pilasters gives access to the western rooms. All the rooms retain their moulded and deeply-recessed doorcases and four- or six-panelled doors. Two rooms have classical fire surrounds with dentil friezes, one with a later-C19 fireplace with floral tile inserts.