KIRKSTALL BREWERY TAKES ON THE TETLEY
Kirkstall Brewery has announced that it is taking on the lease of The Tetley, with plans to make it a hub for great beer from Leeds and renew its status as a “landmark of Yorkshire beer culture”.
‘The Tetley’ building is the former brewing headquarters of Tetley’s Brewery, built in the Art Deco style in 1931. In the 1980s, Tetley’s Brewery became the largest producer of cask ale in the world, and the site has remained an icon of Leeds beer history, even after its closure in 2011.
The building, which now sits at the heart of Leeds’s newest mixed-use district, Aire Park, then operated as a contemporary art gallery from 2013 until 2023, when its lease ended.
From May, Kirkstall will be operating The Tetley as a showcase of the very best of brewing in Leeds. It will feature beers from other breweries in the area, alongside brands from Kirkstall Brewery, Leeds Brewery and Holt’s most recent acquisition, North. Kirkstall also plans to host a number of events at the historic building.
“It’s a tremendous privilege to bring Leeds’s most iconic brewery building into the Kirkstall fold,” said Steve Holt, Kirkstall Brewery’s owner and founder. “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 developer behind Aire Park and 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 underway 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.”
The Tetley is expected to reopen under Kirkstall’s management in May.
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About Kirkstall Brewery
Kirkstall Brewery continues a legacy of brewing left by the Cistercian monks of Kirkstall Abbey and the Kirkstall Brewery Company of 1833-1983. Kirkstall’s own beginnings as Vertical Drinks, importing the likes of Sierra Nevada, Odell and Stone since 2003, allowed them to learn from the masters before starting their own brewery in 2011.
Alongside its most famous beers, such as Virtuous Session IPA and Three Swords Extra Pale, Kirkstall also brews a series of Prize Ales exploring the brewery’s rich history, including some recipes that are over 130 years old.
Including the Taproom & Kitchen at the brewery itself, Kirkstall currently has seven award-winning pubs across Leeds and West Yorkshire, including the historic Kirkstall Bridge Inn, the Grade II-listed Cardigan Arms and The Three Swords in Horsforth.
In December 2022, Kirkstall acquired the Leeds Brewery brand. In January 2024, Kirkstall announced a new joint venture to take on the The Victoria Hotel with the team behind Whitelock’s Ale House. Later that month, owner and founder Steve Holt acquired North, along with its Springwell, Leeds and Manchester Taprooms.
For more information about Kirkstall Brewery, please contact Chris Hall, Brand Manager, at chrishall@kirkstallbrewery.com.
About Aire Park
Aire Park is a new district at the heart of Leeds’s South Bank, being built by Vastint UK. Transforming a former industrial site into a vibrant new neighbourhood, Aire Park will act as a catalyst for inward investment, as well as enhanced connectivity between the South Bank and the city centre.
Expected to be fully complete in 2032, Aire Park will comprise 1,400 modern homes, and over 1 million sq ft of mixed-use office, retail, leisure and commercial space. Designed to put wellbeing and healthy lifestyles front and centre, the development is centred around an expansive eight-acre public park, which will host one of the largest outdoor event spaces and children’s play areas in the city.
For more information about Aire Park please contact Aberfield Communications via airepark@aberfield.com.
About The Tetley
The Tetley name represents one of Leeds's oldest brewing dynasties, synonymous with the city for over 200 years.
Tetley's brewery was founded by Joshua Tetley in 1822, when he bought a brewery on the site for £400. In 1839, he made his son, Francis William a partner, creating Joshua Tetley and Son. Construction of a new brewery began in 1852 and by 1860 Tetley was the largest brewery in the North of England. By 1875, annual beer production had reached 171,500 barrels.
In 1931 the art deco Tetley headquarters building was erected. In April 1960 Tetley's took over Leeds's Melbourne Brewery and in 1961 it merged with Ind Coope of Burton upon Trent and Ansells of Birmingham, forming Allied Breweries. Allied Breweries was the world's largest brewing conglomerate, with the Leeds site employing 1000 people. In the 1980s Tetley's became the world's largest producer of cask ale, and was taken over by Carlsberg in 1998.
The Leeds brewery was closed in 2011 and demolished in 2012, with production contracted out to other UK Carlsberg breweries. The Tetley building has since been a contemporary art gallery from 2013 until last year.