Low Lights Brewery

A group of buildings is shown on Fryer's map of 1772-3. This was one of the breweries incorporated by Act of Parliament under the title 'The Company of Proprietors of North Shields waterworks' in order to ensure a good supply of water for the breweries, which was carried from reservoirs at Percy Main and Whitley in wooden pipes. This brewery was owned by John Walker and in 1797 was let to Henry Coward of New Whitley. Coward was also let an area of ground called the 'Salt Marsh' on the east side of the Pow Burn, bounded by what is now Union Street/Tanners Bank. By 1857 the brewery was known as the Low Lights Brewery. The land still belonged to the Walker family. Evans plan of 1803 shows a long north-south range of buildings labelled 'Mr Walker's Brewhouse'. Carr Ormeston and Carr were described in 1876-7 (Christie) as brewers at Brewery Bank and maltsters at Low Lights. The Old Maltings (HER 4549) was part of their complex. The Low Lights Brewery of Carr Brothers was amalgamated with Newcastle Breweries when it became a limited company in 1890.