Arkell's Brewery is one of the finest examples of a Victorian steam brewery anywhere in the world. But if this magnificent site looks like a museum, the visitor has to remind themselves that it is still a fully-functioning brewery. Driving power in the building is supplied through a system that was first used here in 1910, though the belts are now powered by electricity rather than steam.
John Arkell was a remarkable man. Born into a farming family in 1802 in Kempsford, South Gloucestershire, he emigrated to the New World in his late twenties and took with him a group of local people who sought a refuge from the tough conditions endured by agricultural folk at that time. It was a brave step.
