Building record 2416/39 - Anchor Brewery

Anchor Brewery was situated at the western end of South Road. It opened in 1853 and closed in 1906. All the buildings are still in good condition, and have been converted into residential use.

{1} Anchor Brewery, South Road 1854-1904
A red brick building fronting on to South Road is now a private residence. It was not possible to see whether all the buildings were still there due to vegetation growth. Shown on map of 1926 as disused and still seems to be out of use today. A building on the corner of South Road / Barnwell Road could be a house or offices relating to the brewery. Film 5, photo 19, 20, 21. (1)

{2} Historic building recording ahead of a proposed scheme of renovation and conversion encompassed the brewery, associated stables and outbuildings as well as the maltings, oast house, blacksmith’s workshop and cart shed. No.99 South Road, a late-18th century cottage which formerly served as the brewery office was also recorded. The brewery was founded in 1854 and most of the recorded buildings are of this date. Also recovered were remains of earlier, stonebuilt structures which related to former late-18th century buildings which had been mostly demolished ahead of the construction of the brewery. The brewery buildings had supporting timbers for mash tuns and water tanks survived including a well-built timber hoist remained at ground floor. A brick kiln with metal platform and kiln tile drying floor above remained within the oast house. Other surviving features included a blacksmith’s forge, the brewery’s copper underworks, a water pump, elevated dovecote and stable fittings.

The Anchor Brewery was founded in 1854 by Paul Durrans, a former bank clerk, and was listed at this time as a brewer and maltster. By late 1875, declining health had forced Durrans to sell horses and other items from the brewery. “A sale notice relating to “9 very valuable harness horses and hunters” belonging to Paul Durrans, at the Mill Lane Paddock, explained that the sale was taking place “in consequence of ill health”. On the 24th May 1875 Arthur Bent Beardsley brought into the Anchor Brewery for a sum of £616 10/- and the business began trading as Durrans and Beardsley, Brewers and Maltsters. In 1882, at the end of a seven-year partnership, Beardsley took over ownership of the brewery but died shortly thereafter. The business was purchased by Charles Frederick McKee in 1886. Kelly’s Business Directories list the Anchor Brewery as “brewer, maltster and mineral water manufacturer”. The brewery continued operations under McKee until 1906 when brewing ceased and the building went into disuse. The Anchor Brewery is marked as disused on the Ordnance Survey map of 1926;

<1> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Oundle (Industrial), (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100257.

<2> Bassir A., 2016, Historic building recording at the former Anchor Brewery, Mill Road, Oundle, Northamptonshire, May 2015-March 2016, checked (Report). SNN110335.

<3> STARMER G., List of Industrial Sites in Northamptonshire (Various, Including N.R.I.M.) (Catalogue). SNN1444.

<4> Bassir A., 2017, Historic Building Recording at Anchor Brewery, Oundle, p. 197-210 (Article). SNN110926.

<5> Crank, N. (Editor), 2017, South Midlands Archaeology (47), p. 43 (Journal). SNN111362.

<6> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<7> Anderson, L, 2010, Strategy for the Historic Industrial Environment: The Brewing Industry, p. 37 (Report). SNN110363.

<8> Irving, J, 2012, The opening of the Nene Valley Brewery, [Accessed 17-Oct-2012] (Website). SNN114514.

Record last edited

Dec 15 2022 10:23AM