Brewhouse
All we know about this business at present is that it was established prior to 1855 – perhaps during the refurbishments of 1847 – and we only know of its existence through two documents.
The first is the Old Town Survey map of Cheltenham made between 1855 and 1857. The property can be found on sheet 62 of the Survey and the building shown highlighted by a yellow circle is labelled not with the initials PH (which would indicate a public house) but by BH (for brewhouse). It clearly shows that the brewhouse does not directly adjoin the main property although it sits within the property’s perimeter and is at a lower ground level. The door to the brewhouse was off the larger of the two yards from which access could be gained either from the baths itself or from the smaller yard which had direct access from the passageway at the rear of the building.
The second document is the sale particulars for the property when it was put up for auction in 1856. The property was being sold as one lot but the various different aspects to it were noted separately – the salt works, the bakery, the steam mill, the baths – and the section devoted to the latter makes note of a workshop, ironing room and brewhouse.
Could it be that ale was being made on site to sell as refreshments for those patrons having a bath, a separate business selling its wares to local hostelries, or a combination of both? It’s quite possible that people were able to come up the alley at the rear of the building, relatively unseen, and purchase a crafty pint or two for imbibing at home!
There are no further references to the brewhouse and by 1862 (after more renovations) floor plans show that it has been converted to a wash house. It is likely that it ceased operating following the flood of 1855.
Gilding
While the bakery operated from the corner shop of 55 Bath Road, there was also a separate shop within the property and across the yard from the bakery with an an address of 1 Oriel Road. The only known tenant of this shop during this period, in 1845, was a gilder by the name of Eccles, gilding being the decorative technique of applying a very thin layer of gold over other solid surfaces.
TO READ ABOUT BUSINESSES FROM 1856-1899 CLICK HERE