Brewery. (1) (2)

Hardys and Hansons. A large tower brewery and maltings complex, formed by the merger of two breweries. The site was served by the Midland Railway. (3)

Thomas and William Hardy … opened purpose built premises which contained maltings, brewhouses and offices, with stables … A plaque with the moulded letters "W & T H 1861" can still be seen high up on one of the chimneys. (4)

Thomas Hardy [and] his brother William … engaged Robert Grace, of Burton-on-Trent, an architect who had won a reputation in the field, to design a … brewery. (5)

Hardys and Hansons bought by Greene King in Sept 2006. Brewing ceased at this site in October 2006. Site for sale for redevelopment June 2007. (6)

The original brewery of 1861 has been subject to numerous extensions and alterations. The layout was substantially altered after 1875 with the insertion of the ironwork. The tower and the E half of the brewery could be contemporary, dating to between 1900 and 1913. Of particular interest are the…maltkilns as no other sites are known to have ones operating simultaneously using different patterns, in this case Newark pattern and Ware pattern and to have interlinking storage. Baltic timber consignment marks are present within the malthouses and brewery (deliberately used in the buildings to enable the marks to be clearly viewed). (7) The basement complex comprises 8 distinct areas on 3 levels. (8)

MALTINGS – The first maltings was part of the 1861 development (of the site). By 1875 there was a need to increase the malting capacity. The Newark architect, Mr Bailey was commissioned to de-sign plant sufficiently large for future needs. The result was the two parallel ranges separated by a narrow court.
The core of the BREWERY building was a ten quarter brewhouse designed by Robert Grace of Bur-ton-upon-Trent, other sources indicate that he designed the 1882 extension (he may have done both). The first brewhouse was completed in 1861 and a plaque and datestone was affixed to the chimney: “W& T H 1861". In 1870 the size of the brewing plant had been doubled. Even this was not sufficient for the increased demand for Hardy’s ales and in 1882 a new 35 quarter brewery was built. Anticipating yet further increases sufficient space was left to extend still further to a 75 quar-ter brewery. In particular new fermenting rooms were added, and the cellars were excavated. There were further alterations in 1892 (datestone) and 1897. The STABLES were extensive and purpose built. They were formed round a courtyard. Over the years they were extended further. As horses ceased to be used, they were no longer needed, and all were demolished with the exception of the small row…which still survive on the south side of Oak Lodge Drive. At the time of Barnard’s (1891) visit the “offices” were only the block to the south of the malt kilns. They only had windows at first floor level and this remained the case until at least the 1950s according to photographs. In 1892, according to the datestone…more offices were add-ed. The rear elevations of both the old and new office buildings were impressive according… They were subsequently altered and the result was a less impressive elevation.
SIGNIFICANCE -The most important buildings are the listed malthouses and malt store… These are visually important with their typical kiln elevations onto Hardy Street, and their long elevations on-to the brewery yard. Also of importance visually is the Hardy's Brewery TOWER. It can be seen from a variety of locations in this part of Kimberley. …the ENGINE HOUSE …is probably the most important survival of this brewery's late 19th century development. The OFFICE building is impres-sive, and it is likely that its core is of the brewery's second phase of the 1870s. …datestone fronting Browns Flat. Both sets of cellars are of importance because they too are a very definite link to the history of both breweries' 19th century developments. Hardy's cellars are … of Dennett construc-tion and Dennetts were based in Nottingham. In some ways of lesser importance are the various 19th and early 20th extensions to Hardy's brewery. However, taken with the brewery as a whole they retain importance. Whilst at Hanson's brewery the only specifically brewery related building is the FERMENTING HOUSE. Of considerably more importance are the Hanson STABLES which retain original features and demon-strate the importance in the 19th century of the horse to the brewing industry. They are probably a now rare survival on a brewery site. The GARAGES on Station Road, Brewery Street, etc do retain obvious original features. (9)

History: Kimberley was the home to 2 major brewery developments in the late nineteenth century, and the surviving brewery buildings remain a major presence in the heart of the settlement. In 1846 Stephen Hanson and a local maltster, John Tomlinson, built a new brewery in the town. In 1861, William and Thomas Hardy commissioned the architect William Grace of Burton upon Trent to design a new 'ten quarter brewery' with maltings, brewhouse, ale bottling and cask filling cellars, wine and spirit stores, workshops, cooperage, offices and stables. It is this site that forms the subject of this advice. The 2 brewery sites continued to develop and expand throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Notable phases of development occurred in 1876, when a new range of floor maltings, designed by a Mr Bailey of Newark, were added to Hardys Brewery. In 1882, a new range of brewery buildings designed by Robert Grace were built on the 4 acre site, including new fermenting rooms, a large malt store, a new aerated water plant, offices, brewers' laboratory and workshops for carpenters, wheelwrights and blacksmiths. In 1880, the Midland Railway opened a line through Kimberley, and both breweries developed private sidings.
In 1890, a new enlarged Hansons Brewery was completed, on a site close to Hardy's, to the designs of the specialist brewery architect William Bradford, with a 6 storey brewery tower as its centrepiece. The 2 breweries remained as competitors until 1930 when they merged, and soon afterwards, in 1932, brewing ceased on the Hansons site. Further development of the Hardys site continued throughout the twentieth century, as demands for different products were met, and brewing technology changed in response to the demand for keg beer. In 1973 the core buildings of Hansons brewery were demolished, leaving a small number of minor buildings on the periphery of the site. As explained above, the purchase of Hardys and Hansons by the Greene King company was followed by the cessation of brewing and the closure of the site in 2006
Description: The former Hardys Brewery site extends to both sides of Hardy Street, with the main concentration of buildings on the southwest side, to the north of the dismantled former Midland Railway line. A small number of buildings on the north-east side of the road are linked to the main site by a road bridge. None of these latter buildings are shown on late nineteenth century illustrations of the site. The principal survivals of the key late nineteenth and early twentieth century phases of development are the brewery tower, attached brewing and fermentation ranges, malt store, maltings and cellars. whilst to the north of the maltings range are the surviving parts of the brewery stables. Attached to the east end of the maltings are the 1892 office range and its road bridge. The buildings are all brick built and are generally functionally detailed, apart from the office range which has some decorative embellishments and stone dressings. The much modified interiors of the majority of the nineteenth century buildings contain evidence of structural requirements for brewery buildings, with timber and steel structural members, cast iron columns and riveted floor beams used in different contexts, and extensive jack-arched storage and conditioning cellars ceilings supported on colonnades of cast-iron columns. The location of now removed coppers, mash tuns and fermentation squares is evident in the large holes and empty spaces in original floors. The brewery tower is the most distinctive and easily recognisable of the surviving buildings, but in common with all of the other surviving nineteenth century and early twentieth century buildings has undergone significant incremental alteration and extension. There are substantial twentieth century additions to the north-east, south-west and north-west of the core nineteenth century brewery complex, the most recent additions being large portal framed structures with profiled sheet wall and roof claddings.
Assessment: The second half of the nineteenth century saw the rapid development and expansion of the brewing industry, and the construction or enlargement of medium and large scale breweries, many with integral maltings. The late nineteenth century saw the construction of carefully planned ensembles designed by specialist architects such as William Bradford in which the many processes involved in brewing, fermenting, conditioning, casking and bottling beer were accommodated, alongside ancillary activities such as coopering, smithying, wheelwrighting and stabling. The showpiece brewery tower, such as that designed by Bradford for the Hansons site, was a familiar and highly visible feature around which the other key buildings were sited. As is seen from the evolution of the 2 sites in Kimberley, breweries were regularly enlarged modified and remodelled to modernise, improve production or increase brewing capacity. Very few nineteenth century breweries did not undergo substantial change, and assessments for listing must take this factor into account, as it is not only the brewery equipment and machinery that changes over time, but the number, shape and size of the buildings themselves. In assessing large brewery sites for listing, it must be kept firmly in mind that the brewery is a multi-component ensemble rather than just an assortment of different building types. Although some building types are distinctive in their own right, it is most often the collective interest of the ensemble as a manufacturing unit rather than the comparative merits of individual buildings which forms the basis of the assessment. In this respect, factors such as the architectural quality of the brewery complex, and the degree of integrity of survival are key considerations. Other important factors will include the level of alteration suffered by the principal brewery buildings, the degree to which process 'flow' on the site can be read in the surviving structures and the presence of distinctive plant and equipment specific to the processes for which the buildings were designed. The existence of secondary building types, such as stables, offices and cooperage can enhance the case for listing where they survive in good condition.
It is clear from a late nineteenth century illustration of the site that much of the fully-developed site of circa 1900 has been demolished, and other buildings such as the prominent brewery tower remodelled and subsequently extended. Some parts of the 1861 brewery survive, notably some of the original tower and the brewhouse, but in significantly altered form, both externally and internally. The office range has been completely modernised internally, as has the former garage and office block on the north-east side of Hardy Street. The stables have been partially demolished, and the surviving portion adapted to form office and storage accommodation.
The brewery complex is clearly now incomplete, and all of the surviving buildings have sustained significant levels of alteration. All phases of development are represented by surviving buildings, but all have been compromised by alteration and extension to varying degrees. All brewing equipment has been removed from the tower, brewhouse and fermenting rooms. The majority of the buildings are functional in design and of modest architectural quality. There is no dominant architectural style which links the different parts of the complex, and the incremental nature of the site's development of the site is very clear. The appearance and setting of the earlier brewery buildings has been compromised by late twentieth century additions, the impact of such changes being particularly apparent on the brewery tower, the site's most distinctive and prominent element. Of the secondary building types known to have existed, only part of the stable range survives, in much modified form.
What has become clear as a result of the comprehensive inspection of the site is that the Hardys brewery is much altered, and that a significant proportion of the fully developed nineteenth century complex has been demolished. The site lacks the architectural quality and degree of completeness of listed examples such as the Cains brewery in Liverpool, or McMullans brewery in Hertford, where the coherence of nineteenth century survival is not overwhelmed by later additions and alterations. These are, however, exceptional survivals. (10)

The brewery was the result of a merger of two breweries, Hardys Brewery which was established in 1832 and Hansons Brewery of 1846. The breweries were situated on adjacent sites in Brewery Street.
Hardys Brewery was established in 1832 by Samuel Robinson in a converted bakehouse in Cuckold Alley, and acquired by brothers William and Thomas Hardy in 1857. In 1861 William Grace was commissioned to design and built a new brewery in Brewery Street. This was a ten quarter brewery comprising maltings, brewhouse, wine and spirit store, workshops, cooperage and offices. In 1875 William retired and Thomas became sole owner, in the following year he had a new maltings built which was designed by Mr Bailey of Newark. Then in 1882 the brewery was extended by architect Robert Grace to include new fermenting rooms, malt store, water plant, offices, laboratory and carpenter, wheelwright and blacksmith workshops. During the 1880s Thomas was joined by his two sons, Eben and Frederick, and from 1897 traded as Hardy's Kimberley Brewery Limited.
Hansons Brewery was founded in Brewery Street, by Stephen Hanson and John Tomlinson in 1846. Following Hanson's death in 1861 he was succeeded by his son Robert Goodall Hanson who rebuilt the brewery in 1872. By 1889 the brewery was operated by Robert's son William Banner Hanson who was later joined by his brother Robert Adolphus Hanson. The brewery was enlarged in 1890 by architect William Bradford and included a six storey brewery tower. From 1897 the brewery traded as Hansons Limited.
The maltings was listed Grade II in 2008. In Oct 2012 a planning application was submitted for redevelopment of the site into residential and limited retail use, retaining many of the brewery features.
Buildings on the northeast side of the road are linked to the main side by a road bridge. Surviving buildings include the brewery tower and attached brewing and fermentation ranges, malt store and maltings. (11-14)

Listed buildings slides, (Photograph). SNT2648.

Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.

<1> English Heritage, Listed Buildings Online (Unknown). SNT2439.

<1> OS, 1916, 1:2500, County Series 1916 (Map). SNT1025.

Other Refs: 37/7

<2> OS, 1966, 1:10560 1966 (Map). SNT1009.

<3> Palmer M & Neaverson P, 1992, Industrial Landscapes of the East Midlands, p 100 (Monograph). SNT5.

Other Refs: fig 111

<4> Brown I, 1989, Industrial Heritage, p 38 (Published document). SNT1592.

<5> Bruce G, 1982, Kimberley Ale, p 16 (Published document). SNT1716.

<6> Hunns, T, 2007, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT2002.

<7> Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust, 2016, Kimberley Brewery, Kimberley Historic Building Record (Unpublished document). SNT5610.

<8> Mayfield CA Ltd, 2016, Former Hardy & Hanson's Brewery, Hardy Street, Kimberley Supplimentary Building Report by Mayfield (Unpublished document). SNT5613.

<9> Amber Patrick for NCC, 2012, Hardys and Hansons Kimberley Breweries, Kimberley, Nottingham. (Building Report) (Unpublished document). SNT5614.

<10> R. Hawkins, 2008, English Heritage Listing File - Hardy's and Hanson's Brewery (Unpublished document). SNT6124.

<11> DOE, 2008, Listed Building Description (Published document). SNT6125.

<12> Peter Higginbotham, 2000, The Workhouse (Website). SNT6126.

<13> Lesley Richmond & Alison Turton, 1990, The Brewing History: A Guide to Historical Records, Pages 169-170 (Published document). SNT6127.

<14> Lynn Anderson, 2010, Strategy for the Historic Industrial Environment: The Brewing Industry, Page 39 (Published document). SNT6128.