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Town's brewing history celebrated in exhibition

Kirkgate Arts and Heritage A black and white image of brewery workers from 1892. The men, of all age ranges, are in rows, some standing at the back and others sitting on the cobbles. They are all wearing caps bowler hats. Kirkgate Arts and Heritage
Jennings moved its operations from Lorton to Cockermouth in the late 19th century.

A once thriving brewing industry has been celebrated in a new exhibition.

Jennings Brewery is a landmark still visible on Cockermouth's skyline despite brewing operations being brought to an end in the Cumbrian town after almost 150 years in 2022.

It started as a small site in the nearby village of Lorton and was moved to Cockermouth when brewing went from being a cottage industry to the mainstream in the late 19th Century.

Volunteers at the town's Kirkgate Centre collected artefacts and stories from former employees for the exhibition which runs until 16 December.

Community projects officer Helen Johnston said: "Originally brewing was very much a cottage industry, people were doing it from their homes and many pubs would have been brewing their own beer to sell.

"Then over time it became more industrialised, the processes of brewing became more sophisticated and you end up with a company like Jennings supplying quite a lot of pubs."

The entrance to the former Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth. There is a metal arch with golden lettering saying, Jennings Brothers, Castle Brewery. There are industrial buildings and a tall chimney. A for sale sign can be seen on a gate.
The brewery site was listed to be sold at auction in March

Jennings opened in Lorton in 1828 and moved to Cockermouth to meet growing demand in 1874, when the former Castle Brewery came up for sale.

Marston's acquired Jennings in 2005 and shortly after its merger with Carlsberg in 2020 brewing at the Cockermouth site stopped.

In 2022, production of Cumberland cask ale and bottled beer was moved to Marston's Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.

One of the brewery buildings with a Jennings logo on top of a chimney. There are kegs of beer behind the building, where a Carlsberg van in parked.
Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company announced the closure of the Jennings site in Cockermouth in 2022

In March the Jennings site, on Brewery Lane, was listed for auction with a guide price of £750,000, but was withdrawn before the sale.

It is understood Carlsberg Marston’s still uses the site as a base for its distribution.

A spokesman for the company said it continued to "actively explore opportunities for the future of the site".

Ms Johnston said the new exhibition featured a lot of pictures and artefacts from former brewery staff, including scrapbooks.

She added: "I've quite enjoyed seeing all the beer bottles that people have been collecting, the bottle labels and beer mats.

"And also just talking to former employees about their passion for what they were doing, the beer they were brewing."

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