Industrial History Online
Greene King brewery offices
Key Words :- brewery
Address :- 7 Westgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1QT
Grid Ref :- TL 85557 63776
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.240887 , Long 0.716285
Local Authority :- West Suffolk Council
Pre 1974 County :- Suffolk
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Dates :- 1800 -
Description and History of Site:-
Bury St Edmunds Town Trust:
An Edwardian free Queen Anne style and constructed as the offices of Greene King. It has a complex street elevation in red brick with stone dressings with a central gabled section breaking forward of two asymmetrical wings, both of two storeys but that to the east being taller than that to the west.
The east wing has two bays of bipartite windows, with a central projecting stack which incorporates a pedimented frame with a ceramic advertising sign for the brewery.
The central section has a stone corniced pediment/gable (with brick dentils) supported on brick quoins which flank a single bipartite window at first floor level. Below this is a large stone doorcase with flanking pilasters which support a pediment/cornice with a leaded light tripartite fanlight above another neoclassical inner doorcase with Tuscan pilasters and a dentiled cornice. The frieze here carries the legend Est'd 1800 (it is not clear what this refers to as the brewery's foundation predates that). The paired entrance doors have raised and fielded panels in the late 17th century style.
The west wing has paired windows on each floor at its eastern end and tripartite at the west end. Fenestration is with multipane sashes and the openings have flat gauged brick arches with stone keys and cills, and relief brick apron panels. The roof is finished in clay tiles with and over-sailing eave and there are two brick chimneys. Metal rainwater goods.
To the west is a red brick stone capped wall to the street with a lintel matching the windows in the building, and a three panelled oak door in a sort of Tudorbethan style.
To the east there is another red brick wall which is shaped in a cyma recta manner from a two storey to single storey height and forms a gable wall to an extension to the east of the main building. This terminates at an opening to a yard. The wall has a plain boarded door in it which appears a later insertion.
The building has an east facing elevation onto the yard which largely follows the design of the street elevation but with a double stacked roof with a central valley to the main building, with tripartite windows and a ground level extension in red brick with a clay tiled roof (this extension seems to have been subject to alterations). To the rear (south) of the main building is a further wing with a flat roof. This appears contemporary with the street wing with similar window and other details, and red brick facings. This extension has a number of chiller fans attached to it which certainly detract from the building and the conservation area.
The opening to the yard has rather unsophisticated modern steel gates which could be more sensitive and to the east the wall continues but here in flint with brick dressings. This wall seems to be from an earlier building campaign than the main building and this is also reflected in the other buildings which face onto the yard to its east. These seem to date from the later 19th century and are in a mixture of flint and red brick but all two storeys in height and all with clay tiled roofs. These buildings are not publicly accessible but as a group they have a charm and coherence which can be appreciated in the public realm and reflect the robust historic industry in this particular quarter of the town.
The main building is of some quality and it makes a significant contribution to the conservation area.
While the yard gates could be more sensitive to their location and the chiller units detract, the walled yard and its surrounding group of 19th C buildings also makes a strong positive contribution to the conservation area being an important reminder that robust traditional uses are an important part of our history and culture
Further Reading and References:-
https://burystedmundstowntrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Westgate-Street-Final-PF-version-a.pdf
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Grid Ref :- TL 85557 63776
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.240887 , Long 0.716285
Local Authority :- West Suffolk Council
Pre 1974 County :- Suffolk
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Dates :- 1800 -
Bury St Edmunds Town Trust:
An Edwardian free Queen Anne style and constructed as the offices of Greene King. It has a complex street elevation in red brick with stone dressings with a central gabled section breaking forward of two asymmetrical wings, both of two storeys but that to the east being taller than that to the west.
The east wing has two bays of bipartite windows, with a central projecting stack which incorporates a pedimented frame with a ceramic advertising sign for the brewery.
The central section has a stone corniced pediment/gable (with brick dentils) supported on brick quoins which flank a single bipartite window at first floor level. Below this is a large stone doorcase with flanking pilasters which support a pediment/cornice with a leaded light tripartite fanlight above another neoclassical inner doorcase with Tuscan pilasters and a dentiled cornice. The frieze here carries the legend Est'd 1800 (it is not clear what this refers to as the brewery's foundation predates that). The paired entrance doors have raised and fielded panels in the late 17th century style.
The west wing has paired windows on each floor at its eastern end and tripartite at the west end. Fenestration is with multipane sashes and the openings have flat gauged brick arches with stone keys and cills, and relief brick apron panels. The roof is finished in clay tiles with and over-sailing eave and there are two brick chimneys. Metal rainwater goods.
To the west is a red brick stone capped wall to the street with a lintel matching the windows in the building, and a three panelled oak door in a sort of Tudorbethan style.
To the east there is another red brick wall which is shaped in a cyma recta manner from a two storey to single storey height and forms a gable wall to an extension to the east of the main building. This terminates at an opening to a yard. The wall has a plain boarded door in it which appears a later insertion.
The building has an east facing elevation onto the yard which largely follows the design of the street elevation but with a double stacked roof with a central valley to the main building, with tripartite windows and a ground level extension in red brick with a clay tiled roof (this extension seems to have been subject to alterations). To the rear (south) of the main building is a further wing with a flat roof. This appears contemporary with the street wing with similar window and other details, and red brick facings. This extension has a number of chiller fans attached to it which certainly detract from the building and the conservation area.
The opening to the yard has rather unsophisticated modern steel gates which could be more sensitive and to the east the wall continues but here in flint with brick dressings. This wall seems to be from an earlier building campaign than the main building and this is also reflected in the other buildings which face onto the yard to its east. These seem to date from the later 19th century and are in a mixture of flint and red brick but all two storeys in height and all with clay tiled roofs. These buildings are not publicly accessible but as a group they have a charm and coherence which can be appreciated in the public realm and reflect the robust historic industry in this particular quarter of the town.
The main building is of some quality and it makes a significant contribution to the conservation area.
While the yard gates could be more sensitive to their location and the chiller units detract, the walled yard and its surrounding group of 19th C buildings also makes a strong positive contribution to the conservation area being an important reminder that robust traditional uses are an important part of our history and culture
https://burystedmundstowntrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Westgate-Street-Final-PF-version-a.pdf
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Contributor :- Suffolk IA - 11 September 2022
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Suffolk IA
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Suffolk IA