Nottingham Buildings

 

  

 

I approached Murphy and Son Ltd. to enquire if they had any information regarding the buildings date of origin and the architect involved. The reply I received from firms Operations Manager Mike Cleator was so interesting that I reproduce it below:

"A brewery had been on this site for some time before the present building was designed and built but plans for the present building were submitted for approval by Nottingham builders Dennett and Ingle on April 1ST, 1891. The buildings were designed by William Bradford of Carlton Chambers, Regent St. London and it is likely that William Vallance Betts, a local newly qualified Architect, was engaged to supervise construction. Betts certainly designed other buildings on the site before and after this time and continued in association with Murphys after their acquisition of the property. William Bradford’s name also crops up on planning applications for extensions and additions to Shipstone’s Star Brewery.

Henry Hutchinson (probably Father of William Henry) was listed in 1874 as a brewer of Church St . and William Henry Hutchinson was listed in 1876 as Brewer, Prince of Wales Brewery, Hill St. (Alpine St. c. 1880) The brewery property extended from the maltings on the other side of Alpine St. down the hill to Church St. and there still remains  a cave system beneath the buildings, with tunnels which used to lead from the Brewery to the maltings, the pub on Church St. and the cellar of the local surgeon. You can draw your own conclusions from that! Unfortunately the system is no longer safe to enter due to cave-ins over the years. When one of the buildings on site was being constructed the builders dug too close to the cave top and they came to work one morning to find that a collapse had occurred, taking a JCB with it, and a crane had to be brought in to rescue it!

Prince of Wales Brewery and the maltings were purchased by Home Brewery in 1916 and the brewery was closed (Home Brewery retained the maltings) and sold to Murphys in 1921, who renamed the brewery Old Basford Mills. The name is no longer used by Murphys. The main building was extensively refurbished in 1986."

Mike Cleator - Operations Manager, Murphy & Son Ltd.

 

The Prince of Wales Brewery - now Murphy & Son Ltd.

Alpine Street, Basford, Nottingham

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