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1. The History
The Bass Maltings in Sleaford consist of eight large disused malt houses. Designed by Herbert A. Couchman and built between 1901 and 1907, they were originally owned by the Bass Brewery of Burton upon Trent. They are the largest group of malt houses in England and in 1974 were Grade II* listed by National Heritage. The complex is constructed using red brick with Welsh slate roofing and follows a rectangular plan along an east-west orientation. The central four-storey water tower is flanked by four malt houses either side with a tall, octagonal chimney behind the tower. All eight malt houses are built to an identical design and layout. The barley was fed into a granary section, before being moved onto the germination floors and then transported to one of the twin kilns, where the malting process took place.
After germination barley is then dried to form malt, a key ingredient in the brewing of beer. The fact that the Sleaford area was a major producer of barley in the 1880s and the fact that the town had good railway links attracted the Bass brewery company to Sleaford. The complex ran a full capacity until after the war but more efficient techniques at Bass's other plant in Burton-upon-Trent led to the closure of the maltings in 1959. Since then part of the complex has been used to rear poultry in the late 20th century, but the buildings have not been fully occupied since Bass left and fires in 1969 and 1976 caused severe damage to three of the eight malt houses. Since the 1990s the site has effectively been derelict. Proposals to convert the buildings into office, retail and residential space have come and gone.
A regeneration scheme was announced in 2004, supported by the Phoenix Trust. The maltings were to be converted into residential, retail and business space. Public consultation took place between 2005 and 2006 and approximately 90% of participants supported regeneration with three-quarters asking for a cinema and entertainment complex. The Gladedale Group were developing the project. They worked with the Prince's Regeneration Trust to draw up plans for the site's regeneration which protected the historic exterior in the following three years. This culminated in the submission of planning permission in 2009 and the £50m development was duly approved by North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) in 2011. Tesco was also granted permission to build a £20 million supermarket along side the plan to create retail and office space and 220 apartments. However a year later, in 2012, Sleaford Town Council refused to grant permission for a link road connecting Boston Road to the site. After a two-year stalemate, NKDC served a compulsory purchase order on the site in 2014. This, plus financial difficulties, led to Tesco pulling out and the subsequent announcement by NKDC that all development plans were on hold.
2. The Explore
Well, to be precise – 'perimeter fence' explore. Although, in the past, many a report came out of the maltings these have now all dried up due to a tightening-up of the ‘ security. Given the lack of reports and the sheer scale of the complex I thought an external-only report was better than nothing.
3. The Pictures
From a distance:
img0633 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Former Techfoods depot:
img0571 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Other peripheral buildings:
img0572 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0573 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0576 by HughieDW, on Flickr
From the West:
img0579 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0578 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0582 by HughieDW, on Flickr
From the East:
img0587 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0588 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0589 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0595 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0597 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0601 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0603 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0607 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And from the front:
img0608 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0611 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0613 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0615 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The legendary water tower:
img0617 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0619 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0621 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0622 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0625 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0627 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0631 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The Bass Maltings in Sleaford consist of eight large disused malt houses. Designed by Herbert A. Couchman and built between 1901 and 1907, they were originally owned by the Bass Brewery of Burton upon Trent. They are the largest group of malt houses in England and in 1974 were Grade II* listed by National Heritage. The complex is constructed using red brick with Welsh slate roofing and follows a rectangular plan along an east-west orientation. The central four-storey water tower is flanked by four malt houses either side with a tall, octagonal chimney behind the tower. All eight malt houses are built to an identical design and layout. The barley was fed into a granary section, before being moved onto the germination floors and then transported to one of the twin kilns, where the malting process took place.
After germination barley is then dried to form malt, a key ingredient in the brewing of beer. The fact that the Sleaford area was a major producer of barley in the 1880s and the fact that the town had good railway links attracted the Bass brewery company to Sleaford. The complex ran a full capacity until after the war but more efficient techniques at Bass's other plant in Burton-upon-Trent led to the closure of the maltings in 1959. Since then part of the complex has been used to rear poultry in the late 20th century, but the buildings have not been fully occupied since Bass left and fires in 1969 and 1976 caused severe damage to three of the eight malt houses. Since the 1990s the site has effectively been derelict. Proposals to convert the buildings into office, retail and residential space have come and gone.
A regeneration scheme was announced in 2004, supported by the Phoenix Trust. The maltings were to be converted into residential, retail and business space. Public consultation took place between 2005 and 2006 and approximately 90% of participants supported regeneration with three-quarters asking for a cinema and entertainment complex. The Gladedale Group were developing the project. They worked with the Prince's Regeneration Trust to draw up plans for the site's regeneration which protected the historic exterior in the following three years. This culminated in the submission of planning permission in 2009 and the £50m development was duly approved by North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) in 2011. Tesco was also granted permission to build a £20 million supermarket along side the plan to create retail and office space and 220 apartments. However a year later, in 2012, Sleaford Town Council refused to grant permission for a link road connecting Boston Road to the site. After a two-year stalemate, NKDC served a compulsory purchase order on the site in 2014. This, plus financial difficulties, led to Tesco pulling out and the subsequent announcement by NKDC that all development plans were on hold.
2. The Explore
Well, to be precise – 'perimeter fence' explore. Although, in the past, many a report came out of the maltings these have now all dried up due to a tightening-up of the ‘ security. Given the lack of reports and the sheer scale of the complex I thought an external-only report was better than nothing.
3. The Pictures
From a distance:
img0633 by HughieDW, on FlickrFormer Techfoods depot:
img0571 by HughieDW, on FlickrOther peripheral buildings:
img0572 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0573 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0576 by HughieDW, on FlickrFrom the West:
img0579 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0578 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0582 by HughieDW, on FlickrFrom the East:
img0587 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0588 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0589 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0595 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0597 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0601 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0603 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0607 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd from the front:
img0608 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0611 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0613 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0615 by HughieDW, on FlickrThe legendary water tower:
img0617 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0619 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0621 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0622 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0625 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0627 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0631 by HughieDW, on Flickr
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