Before Xmas 2015 a planning application was submitted for the development of the Gill Bridge Avenue area of Sunderland. This was a derelict piece of land between St Marys Way and the River Wear. So what ? Well this is the site of the former Vaux Brewery, which closed in 1999.
Now before I proceed, for non locals Vaux rhymes with forks, and not gateaux. This is relevant for later.
Also before Xmas I got a book out of the library called " Brewer At Bay", the memoirs of Sir Paul Nicholson. He was the former chairman of Vaux who fought unsuccessfully against the closure of the brewery. Worth a read if you are into that sort of thing.
After closure of the brewery demolition followed soon after and has been a city eyesore until only recently. I don't intend to dwell any more on this as it has already been documented in the above book, and also Vaux History Vaux Brewery Images which are worth a look.
After closure of the brewery demolition followed soon after and has been a city eyesore until only recently. I don't intend to dwell any more on this as it has already been documented in the above book, and also Vaux History Vaux Brewery Images which are worth a look.
What I also found last year brought back me memories for me. Every weekend, there is a market held in Tynemouth Station, with stalls selling antiques, CDs, books and magazines. One such stall was selling old Sunderland and Newcastle football match programs from bygone years. A Sunderland program from the 70s was advertising Lorimers Best Scotch ( see left )
I then had one of my, "whatever happened to moments".
Whatever happened to Lorimers Best Scotch ? ( for southerners, this is a beer, not a whisky).
Unlike some of Vaux's others brews ; Double Maxim, Samson and Lambtons have all been resurrected by Maxim Brewery in nearby Houghton Le Spring , while Waggledance is brewed by Charles Wells in Bedford. Lorimers Scotch has disappeared. It was brewed at the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, part of the Vaux Empire from 1947 till 1986.
I have found a website, which looks grand, but none of the links in it work http://www.lorimersbestscotch.co.uk/.
End of the trail then.
End of the trail then.
Now I may be wrong here but I think my first ever brewery tour was at Vaux. They had a pub called The Brewery Tap where we ended our tour with the obligatorily samples ( this would be the mid seventies) . One of my mates reminded me of the time he came into the "Tap" after work one day for a pint. Two student types with southern accents walked in.
One of them said " A pint of Voh please" **
Much laughter in the bar after this little gem.
** Remember the gateaux reference near the beginning of this ?
