Business: John Smith
Location: Wallacetown
Type: Brewery
The Wallacetown Brewery was established by James Watson in 1818 in premises acquired from Joseph Wilson, a maltster. The brewery passed to his son, also James, in 1824 and was then operated by the partnership of Watson and Brown.
After Watson and Brown moved to Ayr in 1833, the brewery, also referred to as the Cross Street Brewery, was eventually acquired by John Smith in 1847 in partnership with his brother Robert.
The brewery, and associated malt-barn and malt and hop stores, was offered for sale in 1884 when it was described as having been "specially built by the exposer [John Smith] for brewery purposes", which suggests that the plant had been modernised. It had a "frontage of 59 feet to one street and 92 feet to another (with a shop fronting Garden Street)", which places it at the junction of Garden Street and Cross Street (directories use both addresses).
The brewery was eventually acquired by the Ayr Mineral Water Company Ltd., which had a general bottling trade including Guinness, Bass Pale Ale and Raeburn's Pale Ale.
The buildings have since been demolished and the site is occupied by a modern housing development.
Active: 1840 - 1884
Address: Garden Street
Status: Demolished
Current Use: Modern housing
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Books and periodicals
Anon. Brewery at Ayr for sale … long conducted under the name of the Wallacetown Brewery. Glasgow Herald, 11th January, 1884.
