IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Commercial Road, SHEPTON MALLET, BA4 5BX

Formerly the Anglo-Bavarian Brewery. Shepton was noted for breweries as well as woollen mills and silk mills. There was a second brewery at Charlton, a third – the Old Town Brewery at Leg Street, and more premises at Kilver Street, where Babycham was produced by Showerings in the 20th century. Also known as the Shepton Mallet Pale Ale Brewery, the Anglo-Bavarian complex dates from 1864: brewing ceased after World War I

This is in the former Anglo-Bavarian Brewery buildings. Unfortunately the front of the magnificent main block was in shadow.

In common with many places, a stone has been erected to mark the millennium. This one was actually hewn from local limestone, supplied and unveiled by Angela Yeoman on 21st November, 2001. Interestingly it contains time capsules that were filled by all different members of the community and are due to be opened after a century.

An oddly-ecclesiastic styled building opposite the Anglo Trading Estate, made from galvanised sheeting it seems. Today it has furniture and woodworking products outside for sale.

Seen at sunrise across the crossroads with Old market Road and Rectory Road. On the left is the grade II* listed Anglo Trading Estate building https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1296561?section=official-list-entry (1864), also shown at most of the images at https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=173552446 . On the right is No 24 Commercial Road (1840), described at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1058460?section=official-list-entry . Commercial Road is the A371.

A business in part of the old Anglo-Bavarian Brewery complex. The architecture is very distinctive.

This large complex is a former brewery and maltings built in 1872 but closed in the 1930s and now in multiple occupancy. There are three standing chimney on site but this highly ornamented square brick one is by far the most prominent.

As the satellite dish shows, the old brewery buildings continue to serve a useful purpose to local businesses. The estate has had a chequered history: originally it was founded in 1864 by London firm Morrice, Cox and Clarke and was initially called the Shepton Mallet Pale Ale Brewery. During construction, remains were unearthed of first and second century pottery manufacture, incidentally. In 1871, the business was taken over by Hill, Garton and Company of Southampton, who subsequently expanded it; with the assistance of German technicians they produced Anglo-Bavarian beers in what was pretty much the first lager made in the UK. However, anti-German resentment around the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 and the prominence of the temperance movement caused the brewery to fail and in 1920 the business was put up for sale, including the last dray horse, an animal named 'Darling'. By 1926 it was bought by a Mr Bennett, who resumed the name and beer production. But once again war caused more resentment and the Air Ministry requisitioned the works for the war effort. After that, the buildings were used for warehousing and general small businesses, despite a number of attempts to sell off or demolish them. They are listed as Grade II* and are on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register.