The Bass Maltings were built between 1903 and 1906 by Bass Ratcliff & Gretton’s chief Engineer and Architect Herbert A Couchman. The original design for the maltings complex was twice as large, with a further 8 malt houses to the south mirroring the current 8 blocks. Couchman was know for his meticulous standards and personally oversaw the entire project. 60 houses were built from the brick he rejected, testimony to his high standards.
The maltings at Sleaford was an attempt to centralise malt production in an efficient way, making use of economies of scale and steam power for moving barley around the site. For the first few decades the site was able to produce malt far cheaper than any other, however with the advent of pneumatic malting in the 1940-50s, Sleaford fell into decline, ceasing as a maltings in 1959. Bass had first experimented with pneumatic malting in 1899 at the Plough Maltings in Burton, so in some ways Sleaford was outdated before it was even built. The maltings at Sleaford are considered Couchman’s best work, however his earlier Shobnall Maltings (1891) bears many resemblances.
The maltings at Sleaford was an attempt to centralise malt production in an efficient way, making use of economies of scale and steam power for moving barley around the site. For the first few decades the site was able to produce malt far cheaper than any other, however with the advent of pneumatic malting in the 1940-50s, Sleaford fell into decline, ceasing as a maltings in 1959. Bass had first experimented with pneumatic malting in 1899 at the Plough Maltings in Burton, so in some ways Sleaford was outdated before it was even built. The maltings at Sleaford are considered Couchman’s best work, however his earlier Shobnall Maltings (1891) bears many resemblances.
