Business: Thomas and James Bernard
Location: Edinburgh
Type: Brewery
Thomas and James Bernard commissioned the building of the Edinburgh Brewery in 1887, to designs by Hippolyte Jean Blanc. It consisted of an office block on Slateford Road, finished in dressed freestone from the Polmaise Quarry, and a complex of brewery buildings with a frontage of 500 feet, and a depth of 600 feet, built around an oblong quadrangle.
A fire broke out shortly after the works were completed in 1888 which destroyed the malt store, £5,000 worth of malt, and a considerable amount of valuable machinery. Fortunately the company still had the old Edinburgh Brewery in the Canongate, and business was not materially affected while repairs were undertaken. The brewery continued in operation until 1960, when Thomas and James Bernard Ltd was acquired by Scottish Brewers Ltd. Part of it was later converted into a bonded warehouse by the North British Distillery Company, who also produced malt on the site.
Active: 1887 - 1960
Address: Slateford Road
Status: Part survives
Current Use: Modern hosuing development and conversion of offices to residential use
Architect: Hippolyte Jean Blanc
Books and periodicals
Barnard, A. The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. III .London: Sir J. Causton & Sons, 1890.
