The fifth of a series of articles tracing the fascinating and varied history
of the building the Museum now occupies
After a lively period in the 1830s with political meetings and rallies, there seem to be no more mentions of the building in the Bath Chronicle for the next 25 years or more, until June 1868. Two large properties at 31 and 32 Morford Street are up for auction and the auction notice states:
“The Back Premises [of these two buildings] will be sold subject to a restrictive Building Covenant so as not to interfere with the lights of the premises formerly known by the name of the Tennis Court, adjoining these premises, contained in an Indenture dated 24th June, 1802.”
This seems to be the last time that the premises is referred to as the Tennis Court – it is almost 100 years since Richard Scrace built it, and its original use has passed out of all contemporary memory. Very soon afterwards it becomes a brewery: an advertisement for “Smallbone & Ashley, Brewers of Family Ales, Morford Brewery” is in the Bath Chronicle 19 May 1870 and in the Bath Directory from 1872.
This is a period when it was routine for people to take a jug round to the nearest public house and buy a quart (two pints) of beer off-licence. But no doubt this was seen as rather vulgar behaviour by the middle classes, and so ‘Family Ales’ indicates that (as the advertisement says) orders could be placed in advance at Thomas Gibbons, Grocer & Wine Merchant at 46 Milsom Street, and the items would then be delivered to your home. Much more discreet.
It is exactly at this date, 1872, that J.B. Bowler first sets up in business with an ironmongers shop at 12 Southgate Street, where he stays until the mid-1880s before moving to larger premises in Avon Street – the contents of which now occupy the main floor of the Museum.
Smallbone & Ashley built the mezzanine floor within the tennis court building, extending about two-thirds across the whole floor area and supported on cast iron columns. This was presumably used for storage of barrels and bottles, with heavier brewing equipment and vessels on the ground floor. We know that a spring-line runs north-south under the building, and the brewery would have made use of this.
In 1889 (advertisement 5 September) the freehold is up for auction in three connected lots, the Twenty-Quarter Malthouse (our building) with adjoining cottage, the Morford Brewery, and the tied public house The Rose in Morford Street.
It is purchased by The Bath Brewery. In 1892 they advertise sale of some brewing plant and machinery (though not the building), as they have consolidated most of the brewing activity at one of their other premises, but a few years later in 1897 the freehold of the whole premises (malthouse and cottage) is up for auction.
A Bath Chronicle report 15 February 1900 refers to a planning enquiry in respect of the ‘Lampards Buildings Scheme’ application to demolish and re-build to improve sanitation in Lampards Buildings and surrounding streets. Reference is made to tenants who rent the old Morford’s Brewery for warehouses and to Mr Smallbone owner-in-fee of the Morford Brewery. It is possible that this tenant is the Lotor Washing Powder factory, but this is not certain – we will cover Lotor in the next article in this series. Planning enquiries take a long time – just over two years later (17 April 1902) the matter is mostly resolved, but some freeholders are still holding-out and unhappy, including Mr J.H. Roberts who owns stables, part of the old Morford Brewery. Eventually the Bath City Corporation pays him off for £100 – about £8,000 today, but with the buying-power of five times that amount in 1902.
But within a couple of years, there is a change of occupier with the arrival of the Lotor Soap Factory – which we will explore in the next article.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Part 7
Building complete timeline can be viewed here
Ann Cullis November 2024