History
Designed specifically to facilitate three key stages in the production of beer, the Sleaford Bass Maltings represent both a practical and architecturally pleasing group of buildings.
At the turn of the 20th century, Sleaford was well placed for a malting complex on this scale. Situated in a very rural environment, it was close to extensive fields of barley, a seasonal workforce was on hand once the summer harvest had been gathered, the area was served by a plentiful water supply due to Artesian well dug at the end of the 19th century, and the railway line was in close proximity for ease of transportation. The site was purchased by Bass Ratcliff & Greeton Ltd in 1901, and building commenced to the design of Mr H A Couchman, an architect responsible for previous Bass projects.
Production was under way in September 1906 and fully operational by the following year, with a capacity to produce 60,000 quarters of malt per season. Throughout the first half of the 20th century production continued at a pace but, by the end of the Second World War, had declined to such an extent that many of the buildings had become redundant. While other trades rented some of the unused space, the malt industry continued to decline until, in 1959, production finally ceased.
Considered to be of special architectural and historical interest, the Sleaford Bass Maltings were Grade II listed in 1974, only to suffer considerable damage two years later when a severe fire spread through the central area. Despite the intensity of the blaze, the structural integrity of the buildings remained intact due to the quality of the original construction, and this fact probably played a key role in saving the building from demolition when an application was made in 1982.
The Visit
I have wanted to see the maltings since I saw Oldskool's report several months back. Following on from our successful trip to Lincoln County we decided it was still early enough to give us plenty of time to see all the good bits.
En-route I received several handy tips from Oldskool of the 'must see' bits and before we knew it, we were inside the water tower admiring the fantastic windows and spiral staircase.
I think this has to be one of my favourite sites, its got a bit of everything, peeling paint, massive rooms very reminiscent of many of England’s old mills, along with the famous 'never ending dripping tap'.
This site is a must do for anyone who happens to find themselves in the area.
Visited with HiddenShadow and Andy
Photos
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Full gallery HERE
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