Kirkstall Brewery has announced it will take on the lease of The Tetley in Leeds city centre, which once formed part of the vast Tetley’s Brewery site.
The independent brewery has now got plans to make it a hub for great beer in the city, and renew the site as a ‘landmark of Yorkshire beer culture’.
The Tetley production line, best known for its cask ale, closed after 189 years in 2011, with the headquarters serving as an art gallery for the past ten years.
It’s hoped the building will reopen in May. The Tetley gallery closed in December 2023 after its lease ended.
Kirkstall Brewery founder Steve Holt said: “It’s a tremendous privilege to bring Leeds’s most iconic brewery building into the Kirkstall fold.
“As a brewery that pays a great deal of respect to the history of brewing in the city, we believe we are the ideal custodians for the next chapter of this legendary building.”
Michael Cronin, head of portfolio at Vastint UK, the owners of The Tetley building, said: “Last year we outlined our ambitions to safeguard this iconic building for the next 100 years and have now submitted our plans to the council. Since we became custodians of the building, it was always our intention to keep it open until the restoration work got under way to bring this fantastic building up to 21st century standards.
“So, we’re thrilled to be welcoming Kirkstall Brewery to Aire Park and to be bringing one of the current generations of Leeds and Yorkshire breweries to a site which has played such a pivotal role in the history of beer making in the region.
“The Tetley will form the centre piece of Aire Park, alongside the eight-acre public park and this collaboration will hopefully give the people of Leeds a small taster of what’s to come in the very near future.”
Holt added: “It really is the crown jewel of brewing history in Leeds, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to make it a landmark of Yorkshire beer culture once again.”
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What a wonderful opportunity for Kirkstall Brewery to become a national brand.