A Burton author is planning to launch his fourth book this month. Terry Garner, of Leander Rise, is well known for publishing books on Burton’s history and his latest work promises to reveal previously unseen photographs of the town’s lost breweries.

The new release entitled Burton’s Lost Breweries From Old Photographs will be in the shops by mid-August and features more than 200 photographs.

Mr Garner said: “I volunteer by taking tours of visitors around the National Brewery Centre and many of the tourists ask me if there are any books available showing Burton’s old breweries. This gave me the idea and then Amberley Publishing got in touch to ask if I had anything in the pipeline.

Burton author Terry Garner
Burton author Terry Garner

“The book is very much picture-led as I believe a photograph paints a thousand words and I can show more in one picture than I can in pages and pages of text.

“The book features a collection of photographs I have acquired over the years. There are many of Bass and Ind Coope but other breweries are included too.

"The issue is that nobody had the means or the inclination to draw or photograph some of the breweries years ago as they probably didn’t realise how important these images would be in future years.”

Burton’s first recognisable brewery was Benjamin Printon’s, established on Horninglow Street in 1708. By 1780 there were 13 breweries, many exporting their ale to the Baltic and all using the water taken from wells deep under the town.

By the 1820s a new market had opened up in India and Allsopp’s, Bass and Salt’s quickly began to export India Pale Ale.

Burton's Lost Breweries From Old Photographs by Terry Garner published by Amberley
Burton's Lost Breweries From Old Photographs by Terry Garner published by Amberley

The Trent and Mersey Canal built in 1774/75 allowed further expansion, but it was the coming of the railway in 1839 that led to massive growth.

By 1888 there were 31 breweries in the town employing more than 8,000 men producing more than three millions barrels a year.”

Mr Garner’s book, “Burton’s lost breweries from old photographs” is set to be a paperback of 128 pages priced at £14.99. The proposed release date from Amberley Publishing is August 15.

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