I started the year with a jaunt up north to Sleaford; bit of a drive but well worth it. 
I had often seen pictures of the helix staircase here but never knew much about the place though I must say it was rather lovely! The maltings themselves have obviously seen better days but they are still very impressive.
Thanks for looking.
I had often seen pictures of the helix staircase here but never knew much about the place though I must say it was rather lovely! The maltings themselves have obviously seen better days but they are still very impressive.History
The Bass Maltings were constructed from 1892 and opened fully in 1905 by Bass Ratcliff & Gretton’s chief Engineer and Architect Herbert A Couchman; they are considered Couchman’s best work. The frontage of the buildings span nearly 1,000 feet in length and are made entirely of brick. The original design for the maltings complex was twice as large, with a further 8 malt houses to the south mirroring the current 8 blocks. Couchman was know for his meticulous standards and personally oversaw the entire project. 60 houses were built from the brick he rejected, testimony to his high standards.
The maltings at Sleaford was an attempt to centralise malt production in an efficient way, making use of economies of scale and steam power for moving barley around the site. For the first few decades the site was able to produce malt far cheaper than any other, however with the advent of pneumatic malting in the 1940-50s, Sleaford fell into decline, ceasing as a maltings in 1959.
A fire severely damaged the buildings in 1974, though it remained structurally intact. In the 1970s, G.W. Padley (Property) Ltd. bought the site and used it to rear chickens. The buildings were abandoned again in the 1990s, with further damage sustained in a fire in 2014.
The Bass Maltings were constructed from 1892 and opened fully in 1905 by Bass Ratcliff & Gretton’s chief Engineer and Architect Herbert A Couchman; they are considered Couchman’s best work. The frontage of the buildings span nearly 1,000 feet in length and are made entirely of brick. The original design for the maltings complex was twice as large, with a further 8 malt houses to the south mirroring the current 8 blocks. Couchman was know for his meticulous standards and personally oversaw the entire project. 60 houses were built from the brick he rejected, testimony to his high standards.
The maltings at Sleaford was an attempt to centralise malt production in an efficient way, making use of economies of scale and steam power for moving barley around the site. For the first few decades the site was able to produce malt far cheaper than any other, however with the advent of pneumatic malting in the 1940-50s, Sleaford fell into decline, ceasing as a maltings in 1959.
A fire severely damaged the buildings in 1974, though it remained structurally intact. In the 1970s, G.W. Padley (Property) Ltd. bought the site and used it to rear chickens. The buildings were abandoned again in the 1990s, with further damage sustained in a fire in 2014.
Thanks for looking.
I wrecked a pair of pants on barbed wire at this one 
