the Magnificent Octopus
Gordon & Blair's Balmoral Brewery
Gordon & Blair's Balmoral Brewery at the back of the Canongate in Edinburgh predates the 1898 merger of James Gordon of Glasgow and Charles Blair of Edinburgh. Charles Blair was located across the road at the Craigwell Brewery and the Balmoral was built as a maltings to serve the later.
The malting house on the right is very distinctive, with the pagoda-like ventilator for the kiln on top (not the original).
Gordon & Blairs apparently struggled financially for many years, due to problems including the water supply at this site. They disposed and sub-let various parts of their facilities over the years and when their brewering licence came up for renewal in 1953, it was not renewed and they were bought out by Mackays of St. Leonard's Brewery who closed down the back of Canongate sites. They too were bought by English conglomerate Watney-Mann in 1963, who promptly closed the remaining operations down.
The building has been restored and converted to smart offices and housing and is category B listed.
Gordon & Blair's Balmoral Brewery
Gordon & Blair's Balmoral Brewery at the back of the Canongate in Edinburgh predates the 1898 merger of James Gordon of Glasgow and Charles Blair of Edinburgh. Charles Blair was located across the road at the Craigwell Brewery and the Balmoral was built as a maltings to serve the later.
The malting house on the right is very distinctive, with the pagoda-like ventilator for the kiln on top (not the original).
Gordon & Blairs apparently struggled financially for many years, due to problems including the water supply at this site. They disposed and sub-let various parts of their facilities over the years and when their brewering licence came up for renewal in 1953, it was not renewed and they were bought out by Mackays of St. Leonard's Brewery who closed down the back of Canongate sites. They too were bought by English conglomerate Watney-Mann in 1963, who promptly closed the remaining operations down.
The building has been restored and converted to smart offices and housing and is category B listed.