Site Visit - 04/05/17

Posted by Ailish Whittington

As part of the heritage and cultural investigations, the university arranged a site visit for the project members, inviting former employees of the brewery; the people at the heart of its community. The attendance of employees proved successful, with around 20 present. As we walked around the site, we learnt that many of the former employees were married or related and they confirmed that the brewery was a part of everyone’s life, people met there, families evolved and it was passed on over generations. One gentleman said that him and both his grandfather and father all worked at the brewery and confirmed that the entire staff force was enlisted on the basis of family relations or recommendations. This information indicates that the site was not just a working brewery but a social place; a community where people grew up and grew old in.

Also present was the last working managing director of the brewery who attended with his wife. He explained that his family had managed the brewery for as long as he could remember, including his grandfather and father. He was able to confirm a small extrusion to block B was the manager’s office, which was built elevated from the exterior of the building to allow for more light. This, along with other information given about the brewery, are valuable facts and data that can only be uncovered from these first hand sources. This first hand data highlights the importance of HBIM, as uncovering, collating and permanently recording this data will ensure that it does not diminish with each source. HBIM is a way to capture history and culture that would otherwise fade away over time.

The site visit also provided us with a first-hand visual of the site, highlighting information that was not entirely clear from the scan data and photos. There was some uncertainty surrounding the façade of Block C, particularly the placement of the windows and an area which had no external walls. However, once on site, it was easy to identify where previous windows were and it indicated that the area in question appeared to be a walk-through between the block from the railway to the courtyard. One of the employees explained that Block C was used to house the barrels and then further used to store machines and equipment. This highlights the versatility of the site and shows how it transformed and adapted overtime; again, information that would remain unknown without these first-hand sources.

 

All the information gathered from the site visit and meeting the former employees will aid the modelling of the site and all data, whether building or cultural, will play a significant role in enriching the HBIM and resulting in a visually accurate representation of the brewery.