Arkell's Brewery is Swindon's oldest established company, and fittingly, its home is a major landmark at Kingsdown on the outskirts of the town. The brewery was established here in 1861 on a ten-acre site behind the original Kingsdown Inn.
The tall brewhouse is situated near the front of the site, surrounded on two sides by the attractive courtyard. Just outside the brewhouse is a plaque unveiled by Field Marshall Sir Roland Gibbs, Lord Liuetenant of Wiltshire, to commemorate Arkell's 150 Anniversary in 1993 (see picture, left).
Only six years after the brewery was built, expansion of the business made it necessary to convert the original Kingsdown Inn - across the courtyard from the brewhouse - into brewery offices (see picture, below), whilst The Kingsdown Inn was relocated in a new building across the road.
Behind the brewhouse stands one of Stratton's most familiar landmarks, the brewery chimney (see picture, right), which was built in 1937.
We hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour of our brewery and hope that it has given you an insight into a traditional brewer. We regret that actual tours of the site are very limited and usually by invitation only.
The Brewery Site
