Brewers Quay facts for kids
Brewers Quay is a special old building in Weymouth, Dorset, in southern England. It used to be a big brewery (a place where beer is made) built in a Victorian style. Most of it was built around 1903-1904 for a company called John Groves & Sons Ltd. Later, another company, Devenish Brewery, took it over in 1960.
In 1990, Brewers Quay opened as a fun indoor shopping area. It had about twenty unique shops, plus cool exhibits about history and science. It was a popular place until it closed in 2010. For a few years, from 2013 to 2017, it was an antiques shop. Now, the building is waiting to be used again for something new.
Brewers Quay is a very important building, listed as a Grade II listed building since 1974. This means it's protected because of its history and special design. The building is in Hope Square, which is a lively area with cafes, bars, and restaurants. Nearby, you can also find the Tudor House Museum and Nothe Fort with its beautiful gardens overlooking the sea.
Brewers Quay: From Beer to Fun!
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People have been making beer in the Hope Square area for a very long time, even since 1252! It was a great spot because there was fresh spring water nearby from Chapelhay, and fields of barley (used to make beer) were close by in Radipole.
By the 1700s, there were three different breweries in this area. Over time, two of them were bought by the Devenish company. Finally, in 1960, the Groves brewery (which became Brewers Quay) was also sold to Devenish. Devenish continued to make beer at Brewers Quay until 1985.
A New Life for an Old Building
After the brewery closed, the Devenish company and the local council (Weymouth & Portland Borough Council) had a big idea. They wanted to turn the empty brewery into a new shopping center with a pub and restaurant. Devenish spent a lot of money, about £4.5 million, to fix up the building.
The new Brewers Quay opened in June 1990. People called it "the Covent Garden of Dorset" because it was so exciting and stylish. It quickly became very successful and won many awards! These included the "Come to Britain Trophy" and an award for being good for the environment.
In 1990, 100,000 people visited Brewers Quay. By 2010, that number had grown to an amazing 750,000 visitors! The building also had a fantastic exhibition called Timewalk, which won awards, and the Weymouth Museum. In 1992, a fun, hands-on science center called Discovery also opened there, where kids could learn by doing.
Images for kids
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The Shopping Village area inside Brewers Quay.
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Brewers Quay in 1987, when it was still the Devenish Brewery.
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