From brewery to hostel

Our hostel takes its name from its former life as the barrel store for the historic Cirencester Brewery that once dominated this part of the town.

history

After Cirencester Brewery closed in 1937, the buildings remained disused for a number of years until a local group proposed their repair, transforming them into craft workshops, which opened in 1978.  The Brewery's old barrel store became the Niccol Centre, providing classes, courses and a theatre space and, in 1990, joined with the workshops to form Brewery Arts.

Following extensive redesign and refurbishment, the current galleries, shop, workshops and café of New Brewery Arts opened in 2008 and, in 2016 New Brewery Arts opened The Barrel Store, another chapter in the history of the Cirencester Brewery buildings.

New Brewery Arts, a charity that runs the Barrel Store and has a mission to connect people with the hand-made, promote the joy and fulfilment of making and celebrate the role of craft and creativity in all our lives. This relationship with craft is evident within The Barrel Store, with artisan-made pieces on display throughout the hostel.