Fort Brewery

Business: Charles Guthrie

Location: Ayr

Type: Brewery

The Fort Brewery was established in the Citadel built by Oliver Cromwell in 1657. A brewing syndicate acquired the Citadel in 1687 and brewing and malting were undertaken on the site until the early eighteenth-century. In 1734 premises were built for distilling and were later used variously for wine storage, soap-making, the curing of beef, as a slaughter-house, malting, and briefly for brewing.

In 1785 the lease was taken on by the partnership of McConnell & McCracken after which the site was used for brewing by numerous businesses. These included:

• McConnell & McCracken (1785-1808)
• Andrew McCracken (1808-1812)
• Andrew Walker (c.1812-1817)
• Walker & Dobbie (1820s)
• Peter Walker, who went on to become a major brewer in both Warrington and Liverpool (1820s-1827)
• Reid & Walker (1827-1832)
• John Reid (1832-1851)
• John Miller (1850s)
• Waugh & Co (1855-1856)
• McEwen, Rolland & Co (1856-1858)
• Rolland & Thomson, from which Peter Rolland went on to form the Bathgate Brewery Company (1858-1859)
• James Grange (1860-1861)
• Charles Guthrie (1864-1866)

Brewing ended in about 1866 when Charles Guthrie was declared bankrupt, and the premises were taken on by a dairy.

The buildings have since been demolished with the exception of the former brewery house.