Report - Sleaford Maltings Water Tower, Sleaford - Nov 2012

Humpa · Nov 26, 2012

Visited with Ravenwing and Jasper B

The site at Sleaford is chosen for five principal reasons. The first reason was that Sleaford was near the areas where the English malting barley primarily grew. Second, the site had sufficient water available. Third, the seasonal labour came from the barely growing areas and was easy to obtain in Sleaford. Fourth, Sleaford was served by the railways. Fifth, it was cheaper to bring barley to Sleaford than to Burton where Bass had its other maltings.

In 1901 the whole complex was designed by H A Couchman, an Architect and Engineer working for Bass Ratcliff and Gretton Ltd. The malthouses at Bass's Shobnall Road site, also designed by Couchman, were the model for Sleaford, but the new malthouses incorporated considerable refinements including the grain handling systems, ventilation, draft control of the furnaces and in the design of the steeping tanks. The applications for building were submitted to Sleaford U D C, for eight cottages, offices, mess rooms and other ancillary buildings. The plans for the malthouses were submitted and approved 9 months later.
The Engine House and Boiler House were built first, followed by the Malthouses. The whole complex, including the Houses, cost Â£350,000, and had the capacity to produce 60,000 quarters of malt in one season.

1905 the Maltings opened and begun production.
1945 vacant space in Bass Maltings is let to local tradesmen due to the decline after the second world war.
1946 Gas lighting replaced by electricity
1958 - 1959 Production stops due to the advent of new malting processes and the size and inefficiency of the Malthouses.
1969 First fire occurs.
1973 GW Padley (Property) Ltd. purchases the Maltings. Three of the malthouses are used to rear chickens, and five of the malthouses or vegetable processing and freezing.
1974 Bass Maltings complex listed Grade II.
1976 Second fire occurs, with three of the Malthouses and the Barley Kiln and Barely Screen of the central section seriously damaged by the fire. The structural integrity of the structures remained intact.
1984 Application for demolition turned down at appeal.
1985 Maltings Working Party set up to find possible uses for the buildings.
1990s Poultry rearing ceased due to Health and Safety when residential development opened on the land adjoining the west.
1999 Third Fire, with Number One block damaged.

We had a quick mooch around the other buildings but its completely stripped and after a long day non of us could really be arsed. Instead we just found the staircase, and then RW and I shot up to the roof