There has been a lot of building work on the old National Brewery Centre (NBC) site in the last six months, until recently it was hidden by a tall wooden fence, but this came down recently and the nearly finished Molson Coors Brewing Company (MCBC) offices are now visible. It’s doubtful that anyone needs a recap but for those who need a refresher on 12 September 2022 MCBC announced the sudden closure of the NBC, which was also home to the National Brewery Heritage Trust (NBHT) archives and the Heritage Brewing Company (HBC). Despite the public backlash the closure went ahead, and plans had to be made to secure the archives and the future of the HBC. Initially the HBC closed but later started brewing at the Burton Bridge Brewery and bought the business in May of last year.
The future of the archives and a new Brewing Heritage centre is what Dr Harry White, the Chairman of the NBHT is here to talk about.
“That seems a long time ago now,” says Harry when asked about the progress since October 2022. “Over those two years it feels as though the NBHT’s feet have rarely touched the floor. Once Planning Solutions had vacated the NBC site and the NBHT was permitted access, our first goals were to meet and build relationships with those volunteers from the NBC who were prepared to work with us and to meet, build relationships and agree a way forward with both MCBC and East Staffordshire Borough Council.
“From the outset of 2023, the NBHT’s key priority was to preserve and protect the archives (all 500,000 of them). This required removing them from their shelves in the attics of the NBC building, packing them up into suitable archive-quality boxes (>3,000), and storing them safely on the NBC site (which at the time was rapidly becoming a building site) in the expectation that the premises ESBC were in the process of acquiring and refurbishing in Station Street would meet our requirements for the archives. We also needed to pack and label the archives in such a manner that their contents remained in an accessible format.
“The trans-shipment of the archives to their current home (now named the Brewery Heritage Centre) in Station Street began towards the end of 2023, and was completed by the summer of 2024, and all those who were involved in this process deserve an enormous round of applause!
“Also, during the summer of 2023, the NBHT started to produce a photographic record of all the artefacts on display across the entire NBC site, again no mean feat, since this included a multitude of items from across the entire malting and brewing processes up to and including public houses, via dray wagons, railway memorabilia and board rooms. However, these records have stood us in good stead as during 2024, with building work progressing at a pace across the NBC site, the NBHT was faced with the task of trying to find new storage areas for many of these items.”
Having overseen the move of the archive, the NBHT have been an integral part of designing a state-of-the-art experience at Bass House on High Street.
“At the end of 2023 the NBHT was asked to join a multi-disciplinary High Street Operations Group convened by ESBC to produce plans for the redevelopment of the old Bass HQ site in Burton High Street. The NBHT’s role has been to advise both the architects and visitor attraction consultants on the team on the scope, content and format of a proposed Brewing and Pubs Heritage Centre which will form an integral part of the overall scheme. In addition to providing an immersive, mixed media public walk-through tour explaining the heritage and impact of the UK brewing industry through the centuries, the Heritage Centre will also provide a safe, secure and permanent home for the archives, and it will be based in what was previously the HQ offices of Bass, a magnificent late-Victorian, Grade II listed building.
“The High Street Operations Group met regularly throughout 2024 and hosted a series of well-attended Public Engagement meetings in October to communicate its proposals and to seek views. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the plans for the High Street development have now been formally submitted into the Planning process.”
What are the plans for 2025?
“Over the last two year it has become increasingly apparent that the NBHT needs to increase both its skill sets and its numbers. The reality is that we are a very small (and increasingly ageing) band of enthusiasts who have been asked to step up and fill a gap. We’ve been happy to do that, but equally we recognise that to succeed in our goals for the future we need to increase our professionalism.
“Towards the end of 2024, we therefore started to actively seek out like-minded individuals both from across the wider brewing industry and also from the world of museums and archives, and at the NBHT’s November AGM, I was delighted to announce the appointment of two new trustees: Anthony Hughes, MD of Lincoln Green a Midlands-based brewer and pub operator, and Tom Stainer CEO of CAMRA. Both Anthony and Tom broaden the expertise and experience of the NBHT and I look forward to working with both of them during 2025.
“In terms of our immediate plans for 2025, they are based on increasing public awareness of the range of material in the archive combined with better management of the artefacts, whether by prioritising their repair, refurbishment and/or cleaning, or by exploring options for their loaning out and where deemed necessary, disposal. I recognise this is a contentious area, but where we have numerous duplicate items (malt shovels is an obvious example) then we need to make some sensible decisions, albeit whilst adhering to national museum standards.
“A third area on which the NBHT needs to focus during 2025 is fund-raising. As we have recognised the need to increase the level of our professionalism, then we have recruited (on limited hours contracts) suitably qualified staff, and we see this becoming the norm for the foreseeable future. We therefore need to put in place adequate and secure sources of funding. For the last two years the NBHT’s activities have been supported financially by both MCBC and ESBC, a situation that we recognise cannot continue indefinitely. 2025 will therefore see the NBHT increasingly reaching out to other sources of potential funding, both private and public. Dialogue with the National Heritage Lottery Fund regarding the Heritage Centre has already been opened.
On a personal level, I spent many a happy hour at the NBC archive, but the facilities were basic and limited in space. The new premises on Station Street are a marked improvement.
“They are superior in every respect,” agrees Harry. “Although in the short term the archives are not accessible because they need sorting into some form of recognisable order, they are stored in secure purpose-designed boxes, either on secure shelving or in purpose-designed cabinets, all of which are in environmentally controlled rooms. This had not been the case at the NBC for a number of years.”
Were all the artefacts saved?
“If they were properly documented and accessioned artefacts belonging to MCBC, then yes, they have been saved. In the immediate aftermath of the closure in October 2022, the owners of any artefacts on loan to the NBC were contacted and items were returned if so requested (mostly vehicles). Also, and where appropriate, certain items have been loaned out to companies/other museums for safe-keeping and display (eg. a brass/bronze Victorian Steels Masher made by Robert Morton has been loaned to Briggs of Burton for display in the lobby of their Technical Centre).
“Doubtless further rationalisation decisions will have to be made, as we simply lack sufficient storage space, but any such decisions will always be made according to national museum guidelines and also with a view to the stories we want to see told in the new Heritage Centre.”
What are your hopes for the long-term future and have these changed since the closure?
“My hopes haven’t really changed over the last two years, but they have become far more focussed and tangible. As things stand at the moment, I have high hopes that the High Street project and associated Heritage Centre will gain traction. It is our mission to share the importance of the brewing and pub industry with the people of the town and beyond. We are excited by the plans and believe the development promises to make Burton upon Trent the national hub of British brewing and pub heritage.
“There is a strong desire from within ESBC and the architects and consultants involved to make this succeed and we all feel very positive about it. Now that the plans and design concept for the Heritage Centre have been drawn up and submitted to the Planning Authorities, we in the NBHT can start talking to the wider brewing industry to gain their support and input. So, a lot to do, but I firmly believe it’s worthwhile.”