Excavating the Low Brewery site, Whitehaven, Cumbria

AOC Archaeology Group recently returned to Irish Street in Whitehaven to complete the excavation of the 18th Century ‘Low Brewery’ they discovered during their initial evaluation in November 2007. This work took place to comply with a planning condition for the development of the former Studholme and Dickson Garage site into 27 apartments by W R Richardson Ltd.

The AOC Archaeologists revealed a range of buildings around a cobbled courtyard. Within these buildings survived an oven, flagged floors, storage rooms and pipes leading to a large subterranean vat. The archaeological team even found the rust marks left behind by the barrels of beer once stored in the brewery!

These archaeological remains demonstrate the process by which beer was once brewed in Whitehaven, from mashing malted barley, fermentation, barrelling and storage.

AOC Project Manager: Jason Mole
AOC Excavation Director: Alan Hunter Blair
Client: W. R. Richardson Ltd