1763

 

II  

Designated  

09/07/1981  

06/05/1997  

Former Island Green Brewery including Former Malthouse  

 

Wrexham  

Offa  

 

 

333203  

350260  

NW  

Sited at the end of Brewery Place on flat land by the River Gwenfro and bounded to the N by the railway line.  

Industrial  

 

Brewery and maltings established in 1856 by John Jones. The buildings are mostly of 1856, with some extensions and rebuilding of c1890. Island Green became part of Border Breweries in 1930's and is now disused.  

Double courtyard plan, with maltings forming southern range of outer courtyard, the main brewery buildings forming its western and northern ranges. Stable block closes the site to the W. All the buildings are of red brick with some stone dressings and have slate roofs (much slate now removed) with dentilled eaves bands; mostly camber-headed windows with brick voussoirs and stone keys. Maltings: 2 kilns to E, each square in plan with swept pyramidal roofs ornamented with bands of scalloped slates. Lean-to against E wall forming passageway and wide doorway inserted in N wall. Attached to W is a 3-storey, 5-window range, the upper storey of which has partially collapsed; the windows (apparently originally 4-pane sashes) have segementally arched heads with stone keys and stone sills. Inserted central doorway and possible original loading door in upper storey towards left. Rusticated stone plinth. The gable end facing stable block to W (beyond the archway) has 2 blocked, round-headed, windows on each floor. The internal structure has lateral timber beams (some encased in iron) carried on 2 rows of cast-iron columns manufactured by Eagle Foundry, Wrexham; king-post roof. Low floor heights and internal shutters to windows suggest its original use in germination process. At NW corner, an archway giving access to rear courtyard links this range and the brewery buildings; segmental brick arch carried on moulded stone brackets. Segmentally headed window in upper storey above the arch. Brewery Buildings: mainly comprise brewing tower to N and loading area to S. 4-storeyed square tower, the brickwork of which is extensively patched, has dentilled eaves and louvred roof; 2-windows with double-ring segmental brick heads to each upper storey - these are now blocked and are possibly later insertions. Remains of chimney against N wall and a secondary block attached to N side, with louvred roof and short chimney against rear wall, possibly as an extension to the brewing area. Attached to S is a 2-storey, 4-window range with an infilled arcade to the lower storey indicating its use as a loading area, the floor level of which has been raised to form a platform; 4-segmental arches with stone capitals; modern hooded loading bay to 2nd arch. Above are camber-headed 4-pane sash openings, now blocked except to right. Parallel, to rear, is a 2-storey and cellar, 3-window, range of c1890 with double-ring brick segmentally-arched heads. Various lean-to additions to W, apparently to house power equipment; a short range to rear of brewing tower, also c1890, with pyramidal roof and a single-storey building with louvres to roof. Range to E of the brewing tower, in the front courtyard, has been rebuilt c1900 and is single-storeyed over high cellars with large central gabled dormer. Stables: 2-storey, 5-window range situated in the rear courtyard with stone coped gables, stone sills and segmentally arched ground-floor openings as before; rusticated stone plinth. Wide central entrance with stone quoins and window to each side, one now replaced by inserted doorway; outer doorways also flanked by windows. Entrance to hayloft at left and one original window to centre; other openings are renewed. At extreme left end, probably added c1890, is a lower range with louvred roof ending in a 2-storey square block with pyramidal roof and apex finial. King-post roof structure. Disused and in poor condition at the time of inspection.  

 

Listed for the special interest of the brewery/malthouse complex which represents Wrexham's most complete surviving example of one of the town's principal C19 industries.