The Old Brewery Quarter, also known simply as the Brewery Quarter or the Brewery ¼, is a modern mixed-use development in the centre of Cardiff, Wales, on the site of the original Brains Brewery, with entrances on St. Mary's Street and Caroline Street.

View of the Old Brewery Quarter, showing the old brewery clock on the redeveloped 1887 premises

Background

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Samuel Arther Brain bought the site in 1882, which was already known as the "Old Brewery",[1] the first brewery on the site dating back to 1713.[2] The site included a pub, The Albert.[3]

Redevelopment

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Brewery Quarter apartments on Caroline Street
 
The Yard Bar and Kitchen, previously known as the Albert

Despite an expansion in the 1980s, the site became too small for the brewery,[4] and in 1999 Brains vacated the Old Brewery to take over the larger Cardiff Brewery.[1] The Old Brewery site was redeveloped, a joint venture between SA Brain & Co and Countryside Properties (though Brains later bought out their partner), with the new area opening in October 2003.[5]

The 85,000 sq ft (7,900 m2) "Old Brewery Quarter" consisted of a Brains pub, the 'Yard Bar and Kitchen' (formerly The Albert) and a mixed development of 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) of food outlets around an open-air piazza with 42 long-leasehold loft style apartments and penthouses and office space for small companies. The development has attracted a range of bar and restaurant operators including Starbucks, Nandos, Thai Edge, Pancake House, La Tasca, and Chiquito.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Site of first Brain's brewery, Cardiff". History Points. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  2. ^ Lesley Richmond; Alison Turton (1990). The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records. Manchester University Press. pp. 77–. ISBN 978-0-7190-3032-1.
  3. ^ "History & Heritage". S.A.Brain & Co Ltd. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  4. ^ "End of an Era". S.A.Brain - Our Heritage. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Property is the new beer". Wales Online. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
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51°28′43.18″N 3°10′37.64″W / 51.4786611°N 3.1771222°W / 51.4786611; -3.1771222