Visitors and residents of Ram Quarter can now enjoy a new three-metre high lightbox installation at the Heritage Centre run by Sambrook's. This artwork opens a window into the rich history of the site – Greenland’s redevelopment of the former Young’s brewery in Wandsworth, southwest London.
The lightbox exhibits a picture of a dinner hosted by Greenland and renowned artist Neville Gabie to celebrate Ram Quarter's brewing heritage. Ram Quarter is the site of the oldest continuously operating Brewery in the UK, and has been brewing without interruption since before the dissolution of the monasteries in the early 16th century. During the construction and redevelopment of the site Greenland worked with former Young’s brewer John Hatch to ensure that the beer-making tradition was maintained. A nanobrewery was established at Ram Quarter to ensure continuity from the closure of Young’s to the arrival of Sambrook’s, London’s oldest independent brewery, which is now based in Bubbling Well Square at the heart of the site.
As part of the work to celebrate this brewing heritage, Greenland partnered with Neville Gabie to develop a book and short film celebrating Ram Quarter’s history, with the support of Futurecity, The Brick Box, and Enable Leisure & Culture. To shine a light on the site’s past, Gabie arranged The Dinner – a restaging of a Young’s staff Christmas dinner which had been held in Wandsworth Town Hall in 1948 – a photograph of which he unearthed from the Young’s archives. The seating plan of the original dinner was meticulously recreated for the 2017 photograph, and even the original post-War menu was followed as closely as possible for the restaged evening.
The lightbox transports its audience to the Young's Christmas dinner of 1948. A copy of the original Christmas dinner photograph from 1948 is displayed alongside the artwork. A summary of Ram Quarter’s past, present and future, the image features people from the local community, former Young’s staff, builders, members of the Greenland team and future residents. Now displayed in the Heritage Centre, and visible from outside the building in the Square, the lightbox is a testament to Ram Quarter’s history, diversity and flourishing community.
Neville Gabie said: "It is wonderful to see the lightbox in its new home in Sambrook’s’ much-loved Heritage Centre. This is where I had always hoped it would be displayed. The Ram brewery has long been of huge importance to the local community, and everyone who worked to develop the project, and turn it into the success it is today, has always made sure to keep an eye on the past while working to ensure Ram Quarter’s bright future."
You can book a tour at the Heritage Centre for the last Saturday of each month here.