Carl Chinn in call to save Highgate brewery
Midland historian Professor Carl Chinn today called for action be taken to stop a Black Country brewery being abandoned.
Midland historian Professor Carl Chinn today called for action be taken to stop a Black Country brewery being abandoned.
Highgate & Davenports brewery in Walsall has gone into compulsory liquidation shedding around 20 jobs after hitting its second financial crisis in less than a year.
With no buyer poised to takeover the Sandymount Road site, the future of the brewery, which has a history stretching back 112 years, looks bleak. Today, Express & Star columnist
Professor Chinn urged Walsall Council, business leaders and Walsall Regeneration Company to act quickly to find someone to take on the Grade II listed building and retain it as a brewery.
"It is very upsetting to see this historic brewery close down and I only hope someone can be found to takeover," he said.
"I would urge the council to work with its partners and try and attract a suitable party to keep it going because it is very important to the region.
"I have visited the brewery several times and I buy Highgate Mild regularly, I only ordered a case recently through the beer delivery service they restarted.
"It is a great brewery which makes award winning ales and what was also exciting for me as a Brummie was the fact it successfully revived the Davenports brand.
"It is not just a landmark building which could be left out of use, but there is also the jobs and I feel for those people who are now out of work.
"I think we are losing much of what makes us distinctive, we need our traditions and individuality and character and I think Walsall will lose a part of its character with the loss of Highgate brewery."
Formerly known as Highgate Brewery, the business went into administration last September with reported tax debts of more than £1 million. It was sold almost immediately in a deal for £80,000 by administrators Arrans to two property developers, Simon Toon and David Lindol, who renamed it Highgate & Davenports after the famous Birmingham brewery.
It relaunched the Davenports Beer at Home delivery service famous in the 1960s and 70s and started exporting ales and lager abroad for the first time.
Aldridge insolvency firm KJ Watkin and Co yesterday confirmed the company is in liquidation.
