On a cold day in March, nestled around the roaring fire at the Royal Oak, Mayor Kristan Green of Stone Town met with the Towns Council and Joule’s Brewery Team to sign and agree to the Head of Terms for the Old Fire Station on Newcastle Road in Stone.
Town Councilor Jill Hood explains, ‘The development of Crown Wharf and the return of Joule’ Brewery to Stone is one of the most exciting projects I have seen in recent years. The return of Joule’s to Stone with great style is very welcome, the Brewery’s sponsorship of our established amateur theatre company has wonderful community spirit. The fully professional studio theatre will be a great cultural asset and a very worthy successor to St Michael’s hall.”
Joule’s purchased the 1-acre Crown Wharf site in November of 2017 having had discussions with the Canal and Rivers Trust during the year. The Trust was impressed by the vision of the Steering Group, and the objective to make the canal more accessible from the Town and to focus on leisure use rather than residential use.
Town Councilor Rob Kenney adds, ‘To top it all off with the Heads of Terms signing today for our Heritage and Visitor Centre located in the Old Fire Station. We can finally explore the cultural heritage of this fine Town and tell the story of Stone. The development will put Stone Town at the forefront of change, cultural attractions, leisure facilities of the highest standards, meeting spaces and community engagement.”
Crown Wharf sits alongside the Joule’s warehouse building an iconic building in the town and is in the shadow of the old Brewery site. The original brewery cooperage was over the road at the back of the Crown and Anchor, so the location is very much in the locality of the old Joule’s Brewery.
Vicky Shirley from Joule’s explains how the Brewery has been looking for a Taphouse in Stone, “Stone is the home of Joule’s we have been looking to create a Brewery Tap in Stone for over ten years. We have received great encouragement locally that Joule’s should have a flagship pub in Stone. Over the years, we have looked at many opportunities, pretty much every rumour was true, and we have been close to several deals. Of all these opportunities, the Brewery’s connection to Crown Wharf and the location by the canal meant it was perfect. It has certainly been worth the wait. Now we have started works on site; it is all coming together quickly. We are now posting weekly updates on our Website and Crown Wharf facebook page so that folk can enjoy the project’s progress alongside us…’
Photo from left to right: Mayor Green , (Back)Jill Hood, Stone Town Councilor, (Back)Vicky Shirley, Joule’s Brewery, Brand Manager, Rob Kenney, Town Councilor