Artist’s impression of plans for Bass House visitor experience
This autumn has seen the launch of exciting plans to create a new brewing heritage visitor experience in Burton upon Trent.
Partnering with East Staffordshire Borough Council we have been working together for several months on plans to develop Bass House on the High Street in the town. The plan is to create a visitor attraction that will become the national hub of British brewing and pub heritage, which will also be the permanent home for the extensive Archive.
In October we were able to share the project concepts and design imagery with members of the general public as part of a wide-ranging engagement programme.
Our trustees and some of our contracted staff, alongside representatives from the Council, architects Franklin Ellis and visitor attraction design experts Sarner International presented outline plans of what is being proposed. This included conducting 9 tours for the general public as well as tours for corporate members, Councillors and members of the Civic Society. In total we have shown over 200 people around selected areas of Bass House, where the new experience will be centred. There has also been a public meeting at Burton upon Trent Town Hall in mid-November where a further 50 people heard the proposals.
Feedback across all the events has been very encouraging: “Thank you so much, it was so wonderful to see, and I really look forward to seeing it all take shape over the next few years.” “Thank you so much for your time yesterday, your passion and energy for the project and the history is inspiring!”
The plans shared didn’t just cover Bass House, everyone who attended also had a chance to see what was being designed for the whole riverside area between the High Street and The Washlands, of which the brewing heritage experience is one part. This includes ambitious and exciting plans to convert The Water Tower into an interactive attraction, a Plaza for public events and festivals, a Washlands Visitor Centre supported by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, and conversion of Carling House into a hotel.
Many questions raised around the various events focussed on the issue of funding for the project. East Staffordshire Borough Council explained that funding will come from a range of sources, including the Towns Fund programme. East Staffordshire Borough Council are also in talks with the Heritage Lottery Fund.
We are excited by the plans and believe the development promises to make Burton upon Trent the national hub of British brewing and pub heritage. We will continue to play an active part in this exciting project.
The plans are now available to see on our website
You can also see details of the wider project via the East Staffordshire Borough Council website
