London brewery Sambrook’s moves to 16th century brewing site

London brewery Sambrook’s is set to move to a new property development in Wandsworth; a historic brewing site once owned by Young’s.

(Photo: Sambrook’s)

Sambrook’s is taking a 20-year lease at the Ram Quarter development in Wandsworth, south London, relocating from its current base in Battersea after 11 years to establish a new headquarters. The brewery will celebrate the new partnership with a beer festival hosted on Saturday 13 July.

It is a “poetic” move, according to Chris Daly, senior commercial manager at property owner Greenland. The facility is set within carefully restored Grade-II buildings at the development, where researchers have found evidence of brewing dating back to 1533. It was famously owned by Young’s until 2006. Samrbrook’s, which was founded in 2008, also plans to open a tap-room serving food with its own beer, and take over a heritage centre the development, using it to present the history of brewing in London.

Greenland, the Shanghai-based developer, is spending £600 million on turning the old Young’s brewery into a mixed-use development, including 713 new homes, 10,000 sq ft of retail space, a leisure hub with a boutique cinema, and the Sambrook’s brewery. In addition, the developer has also worked with former Young’s master brewer, John Hatch, to maintain a nano-brewery at the site, producing 7,500 pints per year.

“It’s poetic that London’s oldest independent brewer is setting up home at Britain’s oldest operating brewery,” Daly said.

“Greenland has always recognised the importance of Ram’s brewing legacy and safeguarding its heritage has been crucial to our development plans, from our approach to the design of the new homes through to our commercial ambitions for the site. We’re proud to be keeping Wandsworth’s beer tradition alive while creating an exciting new destination in partnership with a local business.”

Duncan Sambrook, the founder and managing director of the incoming brewery, said setting up shop in the Ram’s Quarter “feels like a homecoming.”

“Ram has long been renowned for its brewing pedigree and we’re excited to be ushering in a new era of British brewing at the site.

“It’s a fantastic location for us to expand our retail offering, set in the heart of Wandsworth and just metres from the River Wandle after which our most famous beer takes its name.”