Burton brewery centre relics ‘safe’ – council
RAILWAY artefacts in the National Brewery Centre at Burton upon Trent – including Neilson Reid 0-4-0ST No. 5901, which was built for brewer Bass in 1901 – have been promised new homes when the centre permanently closes on October 31.
Owned by the Molson Coors Beverage Company, the centre in Horninglow Street, incorporates a museum and onsite brewery and is dedicated to Burton’s historical connections with the brewing industry. The centre, which was reopened in 2010 by Princess Anne, also includes a wedding venue and will make way for the firm’s new headquarters.
The Campaign for Real Ale has opposed the closure on heritage grounds, and more than 2700 people have signed a petition. A protest march was scheduled for October 15.
The locomotive, which became
Bass No. 9, was built to the design of Bass’s chief engineer, HA Couchman, and remained in use on the brewery’s internal system until 1964.
Also in the collection is the Bass Directors Saloon. Built by Ashbury Railway Carriage Company for the Manchester Ship Canal Company to inspect construction, it was purchased by the brewery when works on the waterway were completed. It was often used on enthusiast tours around the brewery prior to closure.
There is also a Planet locomotive, one of several purchased by brewery Worthingtons between 1924 and 1934 as they were ideal for navigating the cramped brewery yards.
Molson Coors has committed to working with East Staffordshire Borough Council and the National Brewing Heritage Trust to ensure that the collection is protected before it is moved to a new home.
A statement from the local authority said: “The council would like to make a public commitment to retaining all of the items, artefacts, and archives from the National Brewery Centre to ensure they are kept within the town.
“Furthermore, the council will work with its Heritage Centre Working Group, comprising local historians, to explore opportunities for expanding the proposed new Burton Heritage Centre in a way that can best incorporate the items from the National Brewery Centre, including the possibility to expand the proposed heritage centre into the important and listed larger Bass House building on High Street.”