FORMER CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERY

In 1858 Rosenberg and Company founded a brewery at 24 Bouverie Street, North Melbourne and traded as the North Melbourne Brewery. This enterprise lasted for little over twelve months and in 1859 the brewery closed down. In 1864 a Mr John Bellman reopened the brewery naming it the Carlton Brewery, after the new title given to the area immediately north of the city. In 1866 the brewery was purchased by Edward Latham and G.M. Milne and very quickly expanded in output and land development. In 1870 large stables were built on the north side of Ballarat Street and large cellars were built in Victoria Street. In 1872 the original plant and chimney were demolished and replaced by a new brewing tower. In 1881 Latham sold out to the Melbourne Brewing and Malting company but retained a large share-holding and remained as co-manager till 1884. A further bluestone warehouse was erected on Bouverie Street in 1883 and a wine and spirit store was built on the corner of Franklin and Swanston Streets. The withdrawal of Latham's capital in 1888 forced the company to amalgamate with the west end brewery at Williamstown and the Carlton and West End Breweries Limited was formed and by 1897 was second in trade of all the Melbourne breweries. The brewery continued to expand by acquiring more land and building new structures including the first major building on Swanston Street, the Malt House in 1904. In 1905 the company bought out the Victoria Brewery which had been in receivership. Carlton and United Breweries Pty Ltd was formed one year later by the amalgamation of the Carlton and Victoria Breweries and the McCracken, Castlemaine, Shamrock and Fosters Breweries. In 1913 the company became public. In 1925 the Bouverie Street frontage was completed by the construction of the bluestone building on the corner. In the 1950s the whole factory was substantially and radically refurbished and the plant and processes were renewed. Brewing on the site ceased on the site in 1987. All but the bluestone buildings on Bouverie Street and the Malt House on Swanston Street were demolished in the 1990s. The bluestone buildings on Bouverie Street were constructed in stages between 1864 and 1927. They have undergone alterations to the windows and installation of large openings to allow for vehicular access on the northern most buildings. The red brick malthouse constructed in 1904 to the designs of H.V. and A Champion is three storeys high with a basement. The latter was devoted to fermenting cellars, the first floor to storage accommodation for sugar and hops and the 21 malt storage tanks took up floors two and three. Cement dressings create an arcaded facade to Swanston Street.

The former Carlton and United Brewery is of historical, architectural and technical importance to the State of Victoria.

The remaining buildings of the former Carlton and United Brewery are of historical significance as remnants of an early brewing industry that developed during the latter half of the 19th century and the 20th century as the principal centre of brewing in Victoria. The brewery which started on this site in 1864 developed into the Carlton and United Breweries Pty Ltd in 1906 after amalgamation of the Carlton and Victoria Breweries and the McCracken, Castlemaine, Shamrock and Fosters Breweries. The remaining buildings are important for their representation of the early manufacturing history of Melbourne's inner suburbs.

The former Carlton and United Brewery is of architectural significance as the evolution of the company is expressed in the Bouverie Street buildings, which contain remnants of the earliest brewery and reflect the site's expansion under the direction of Edward Latham. The remaining buildings on the former Carlton United Brewery site are of architectural importance as they are expressive of 19th and 20th century brewing processes. The Malthouse on Swanston Street, designed by H.V. and A Champion is indicative of the expansion by the Carlton Brewery Ltd at the turn of the century. The cement render arcading on the facade of the building is of interest. The 21 malt store tanks contained in the Malthouse are of technical importance as they were an innovation of their time and believed to be the only ones of their type in the Southern Hemisphere when constructed. They were erected by the Monier Concrete Co and were constructed of cement and bluestone concrete, with perpendicular steel rods, laced with cylindrical rods.