Listed Building record MDO3902 - Wyke Brewery, Wyke Road, Gillingham

A mid nineteenth-century brewery, built of coursed, squared rubble with tiled roofs and ashlar dressings. A fairly large industrial building in the Italianate style. Brewery founded by the Matthews family in 1750 within an outbuilding of a public house known as the Drum and Monkey which occupied the present site of the brewery. In the mid 19th century the brewery was run by George Blandford Matthews. Around 1860 he extended the brewery to include an Italianate style, two storey building with a central four-stage tower, and projecting wooden hoist. The roof has projecting ventilation lourves. In 1963 the brewery was acquired by Hall and Woodhouse Limited and closed. The premises then housed a soft drinks company, and from 1977-1981 used as a paint factory. In 1985 part of the site including the maltings were demolished and the site redeveloped for housing. In 1988 the tower building was converted into apartments.

Matthews & Co, Wyke Brewery, was founded in 1750 and acquired by Hall and Woodhouse Ltd in 1963 and closed. The brewery was partly demolished 1985 and the remainder converted to multiple residential use in 1988. <3> <5>

Founded by the Matthews family within an outbuilding of public house known as Drum and Monkey which occupied the present site of the brewery. During the mid 19th century the brewery was run by George Blandford Matthews who extended the brewery circa 1860 to include an Italianate style, two storey building with a central four-stage tower, and projecting wooden hoist. The roof has projecting ventilation lourves.

Following the closure of the brewery in 1963, the premises were occupied by a soft drinks company and used from 1977-1981 as a paint factory. During the 1980s the maltings were demolished and houses built on its site, the tower building was converted into apartments and is not listed grade II. <2> <6>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 34 (Monograph). SDO99.

'Monuments of the first half of the 19th century in Wyke, Langham and Bugley are as follows ... Wyke Brewery (79572661), with walls of coarsed rubble with ashlar dressings, and tiled roofs.'

<2> DOE (HHR), 1987, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: North Dorset, 364 (Scheduling record). SDO17421.

<3> Richmond, L, and Turton, A, 1990, The brewing industry: a guide to historical records, 165 (Monograph). SDO17599.

<4> Anderson, Lynn, 2010, Strategy for the Historic Industrial Environment: The Brewing Industry, 31 (Index). SDO17707.

<5> 2011, Website: Brewery History Society, Matthews and Co, Wyke Brewery <http://www.breweryhistory.com/Breweries/DorsetGillinghamWykeBrewery.htm> [Accessed 08-Aug-2011] (Digital archive). SDO18650.

<6> 2011, Website: The Old Brewery <http://www.saveourwyke.co.uk/the_old_brewery.htm> [Accessed 08-AUG-2011] (Digital archive). SDO18651.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1544112 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 5 2022 4:50PM