97. Where have all the breweries gone?

As each year goes by , we lose a bit more of the heritage left behind for us by our forbears, And another example of this is the loss of many breweries, even the one on the finishing line of the Oxford and Cambridge University boat race at Mortlake, closed a couple of years ago.

Loss of breweries is allegedly caused by a number of reasons such as over capacity resulting from falling sales caused by mergers, rise in beer duties, and people not being able to afford it and the smoking ban.

Isn’t it strange that when breweries are bought in more affluent areas that they suddenly become of interest to the property speculators. Examples of this includes Morrells in Oxford, the Stag Brewery at Mortlake and  Morlands in Abingdon. In the case of the latter brewery, the prestigious blocks of flats at least have roof lines reminiscent of old oast houses used for the roasting of hops.