Welcome To Brewery Yard
You are standing at the gateway to what was once a vast brewery. It is known that a brewery existed on this site as early as 1575 , possibly even earlier. In 1805 Thomas Neale who already owned a brewery in Reigate purchased the site. In 1854 Frederick Mellersh joined the business. By 1919 Mellersh and Neale Ltd had acquired 91 public houses in Surrey. The brewery closed in 1938 but continued as a mineral water factory until 1963.
The three murals before you serve as an introduction to the history of Reigate from a brewing perspective.
Beginning with St Augustine whose priory existed on the site of today’s Reigate Priory the murals tell a story spanning nearly 1000 years. The end mural shows the brewery yard as it looked in 1933. Notice the large pagoda building. This remained until 1988 before being demolished. It would have stood roughly in the centre of today’s supermarket car park.
Please enjoy looking at the murals. Each mural has its own QR code that will tell you more about each painting. You may even come across the old brewer’s song the workers used to sing on days out.
Mural One.
Featuring Saint Augustine and Henry VIII.
To listen to the narration click here.
A PDF of all the narrations can be found here.
Mural Two.
Featuring Advertising images from Mellersh and Neale and a collection of beer mats past and present.
To listen to the narration click here.
A PDF of all the narrations can be found here.
Mural Three.
Featuring a painting based on an old photograph from Brewery Yard.
The background is a wallpaper design taken out of an old brewers house on Reigate High Street.
To listen to the narration Part One click here.
To listen to the narration Part Two click here.
To listen to the narration Part Three click here.
A PDF of all the narrations can be found here.
