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History of Maltings
pre 1900
The Maltings was the most important non--agricultural source of work in
Bures. This one was built in 1851, two years after the railway opened.
The Garrad family were the owners. The block at the left end had doors
where the barley grain went in, carried up 10-12 steps on cat-ladders
in 16 stone sacks and also a large tank for soaking. The Maltings had
low ceilinged floors where the grain was turned over with metal ploughs
as it sprouted. Small louvered windows controlled the critical temperature
needed for the malting process. A beehive shaped kiln dried the barley
with a chute to the right where the barley came out. Bures maltsters finished
work about March/April when the barley was finished and switched to the
land, local builders or the mill for the summer months returning in September
at harvest time.
Kelly`s Directory recorded
these Maltsters in Bures Hamlet:-
Garrad 1844 (recorded as Maltster before
the Maltings was built in 1851)
Garrad and Grimston Partnership 1868
Walter Edward Grimston 1874, 1884, 1887, 1890, 1892, 1895, 1899,
1900, 1902, 1906.
Cross and Garrad 1910 1912 1917 1925
1929
Garrad 1937
Trumans:- start date unknown
Originally the Maltings
were owned by the Garrad family, but the majority of the malt produced
was purchased by Truman, Hanbury & Buxton. Trumans had a vast 6 acre
brewery complex in London.
In 1868 Garrad went into
partnership with Walter Grimston (Garrad and Grimston Brewery) which proved
very successful.
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By 1899 Grimston owned 16 pubs
in the Colchester area which were all purchased by Trumans. Grimston
was the local Justice of the Peace, perhaps he considered that his
service to the community was incompatible with his ownership of
public houses where maybe, so many of his customers might have been
brought before him in the dock!
Grimston still owned the Maltings some 40 years later until approx
1910.
<<<<Writing on wooden
plank between workers states:-
"GRIMSTON OF BURES"
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Soon after 1937, Garrad
handed over control of the Bures Maltings to Trumans.
No brewing or bottling was
ever carried out at Bures, the majority of the malt was transported to
the Brick Lane, London depot of Trumans for processing.
Locally there was also the Daniells Brewery (1830>) at West Bergholt
who were finally taken over
by Truman Hanbury in 1958.
Some malt may well have finished up going to Bergholt. In its latter years
it was only used as a bottling plant.
Truman`s eventually ceased all production at Bures on August 22nd 1980.
After all the equipment was removed the doors finally shut on July 10th
1981.
The two other Maltings
at Sudbury and Long Melford closed shortly afterwards in 1985/6
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The maltings tower
can still be clearly seen behind the main building. |
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FrontView 2003
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Mid-19th century malthouse
converted to residential use in 1984. The building has a ‘H’
shape plan with 2 storey crosswings. Built of red brick with yellow brick
pilasters and a Welsh slate roof; the crosswings have taking-in doors
on both floors of the west elevation. The slate covered pyramidal kiln
lies at the south end of the central range. A stone on the south face
of the south wing is dated 1851, but some of the tie plates carry the
inscription ‘Nicklin & Harford Birmingham 1824’; the latter
may have been reused. Additional doors and windows have been inserted
as part of the conversion.
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