Greenland assures Ram Quarter’s brewing legacy with Sambrook’s deal
London’s oldest independent brewer is set to move to Greenland’s Ram Quarter development in Wandsworth, London, keeping the historic tradition of brewing at the former Young’s site alive.
Sambrook’s will take a 20-year lease with Greenland to establish a new headquarters for its brewing operations across 11,000 sq ft at Ram Quarter, relocating from its current brewhouse in Battersea.
The new Sambrook’s facility is set within carefully restored Grade-II listed brewery buildings at the development. The London brewer will open a tap room set around Ram’s central square with outdoor seating, serving food and its own hand-crafted brews, as well as a bottle shop selling award-winning beers from around the world. The business expects to brew more than 1 million pints at Ram Quarter each year.
Sambrook’s also plans to take over a heritage centre delivered by Greenland at the development, using it to present the history of brewing in London, at the oldest continual brewing site in the country.
Brewing has been taking place at Ram Quarter since at least 1533. Famously the site was home to Young’s until 2006. Greenland is redeveloping the former industrial site to deliver 713 new homes, alongside 100,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant and leisure space. It has preserved Ram’s beer legacy throughout the redevelopment, working with former Young’s master brewer, John Hatch, to maintain a nanobrewery at the site.
The partnership with Sambrook’s fits within Greenland’s wider masterplan for the development, as it seeks to create a thriving new retail and leisure hub in southwest London. Greenland announced earlier this year that immersive cinema specialist Backyard Cinema will be opening its first permanent London home at Ram Quarter in the autumn. Market-leading nursery provider Safari Kid is also taking space along Ram Quarter’s riverside terrace on the bank of the River Wandle.
Chris Daly, Senior Commercial Manager at Greenland (UK), said: “It’s poetic that London’s oldest independent brewer is setting up home at Britain’s oldest operating brewery. Greenland has always recognised the importance of Ram’s brewing legacy and safeguarding its heritage has been crucial to our development plans, from our approach to the design of the new homes through to our commercial ambitions for the site. We’re proud to be keeping Wandsworth’s beer tradition alive while creating an exciting new destination in partnership with a local business.”
Duncan Sambrook, founder and managing director of Sambrook’s Brewery, said: “Our move to Ram Quarter feels like a homecoming. Ram has long been renowned for its brewing pedigree and we’re excited to be ushering in a new era of British brewing at the site. It’s a fantastic location for us to expand our retail offering, set in the heart of Wandsworth and just metres from the River Wandle after which our most famous beer takes its name.”
Greenland and Sambrook’s will be launching their new partnership with a beer festival hosted at Ram Quarter on Saturday 13 July. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the Craft Beer by the River event, with live music, family-friendly entertainment and, of course, great beer.
Bruce Gillingham Pollard and CBRE acted for Greenland.