Hall and Woodhouse Brewery

A late afternoon trip to nearby Blandford Forum, following the River Stour. A nearly clear sky, much colder than it looks.

To the left of these old brewery buildings (which I suspect are listed) lies the state of the art modern brewery (Badger beer is the major brew here). The adjoining land, including the old brewery buildings, is I believe intended for new housing, although there is no sign of anything happening. There must be a tale to tell here. I had a wander around Brewery Square in Dorchester a couple of days ago and was impressed by the conversion of the old brewery buildings there. But Dorchester is a much bigger place than Blandford, and the new development and conversions do not have to sit beside the industrial structures of a modern brewery. A tricky planning conundrum I suspect.

Blandford Forum itself is an attractive small town. The great fire of 1731 destroyed most of it, and it was rebuilt on the designs of local architects John and William Bastard. It is said to be the country’s most complete small Georgian town. The fine Georgian church is an extra.