C O N T E X T 1 3 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 45 regional pubs as well as sometimes for a wider market.The book is the result of a study carried out by the Brewery History Society and supported by English Heritage between 2007 and 2009, drawing from material in English Heritage archives. Beer has been an important part of British culture going back to the neolithic age. Beer and its raw materials (water, barley and hops) helped to shape the landscape of towns and the countryside. The landmark quality of the local brewery derives from the functional tradition of brewery construction in which a tower or multi-storey building accommodated the vertically linked processes in the production of beer. Like other manufacturers, brewers sought to make a show of their buildings through architectural form or embellishment as advertising and an expression of commercial pride. These needs were served in the early to mid-19th century by a range of specialist brewery engineers and architects. People like Robert Davison (1804–86) and the very prolificWilliam Bradford (1844– 1919) made successful careers out of the design of breweries, helping to shape the urban landscapes of towns as diverse as Smethwick, Lewes and Nottingham. The effect of beer production on the urban landscape extended to the distinctive architectural forms produced by malt and hop production: malting kilns and oast houses respectively. Brewing produced handsome profits, many of which were distributed to the community in the form of philanthropy. Beer financed churches, monuments, sports clubs and concert halls. Nationally known institutions like Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-uponAvon owe their origins to beer.The ‘beerage’ was also a powerful political lobby well-represented in Parliament. One English town above all was, and still is, shaped by brewing. Burton-onTrent’s vital resource was the mineral quality of the local water which made it ideal for the production of a bright, sparkling beer. Brewing started there in a small way at the end of the 17th century but became a large-scale industry by the middle of the 19th-century, making beer for local, national and overseas consumption.The brewery landscape at Burton has changed, as has the pattern of ownership. But the steel fermenting tanks are now the characteristic feature of Burton as a brewing town. Built to Brew is perhaps written as a record rather than as literature, but it is indispensable on that level and is very generously illustrated with contemporary and historic photographs and drawings. Whether the readers’ interest is in production or consumption, Built to Brew offers a comprehensive guide to the processes of brewing, the engineering and architecture of breweries, and the wider effects of brewing on the historic built environment. Michael Taylor, independent practitioner The finest quality at the best prices • Natural insulation • ecoCORK render/plaster • Lime mortar & plaster • Limecrete • Limewash & natural paint www.mikewye.co.uk 01409 281644 MIKE WYE —& ASSOCIATES—
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