00:00Okay, so Keith and Bob, we're here at Highgate Brewery in Walsall, well the former Highgate
00:06Brewery, which closed down around 2010 wasn't it? 2010 was the last time they made any beer here.
00:13Yeah, I believe you've written to the council haven't you? Yeah, six to eight weeks ago
00:18we jointly, both Friends of Highgate Brewery and Walsall Camera, sent a letter to the council
00:24expressing our concerns about this fine example of a Victorian Tower Brewery. It's being allowed to
00:31go into disrepair and this is Walsall's heritage we're talking about and we really need to do
00:38something about it. If you go around the back there are trees growing out of the roof and we
00:43we want the powers that be to exercise their authority on this place.
00:55So what would you like to see happen here? You know, would you like it would you like it to be
01:00turned into something else or you know what your idea is? It's difficult to say what this place could
01:05be used for. The main building is grade two listed and so is some of the equipment inside so that would
01:13need to be preserved somehow. But there's a lot of room at the back as well which could be used for
01:19another purpose. Yeah. But a museum would be ideal if it was something to do with
01:25the leisure industry. Absolutely. The problem is I think the large building, the actual brewery,
01:32is a big building to fill. That's the problem isn't it? I've always thought part of it is apartments
01:38because it's the sort of building that would lend itself ideally to that and perhaps
01:43on the ground floor craft spaces for craft people perhaps even a micro brewery again.
01:51Absolutely. I mean what do you think will happen? I know you've written to the council but
01:55you know in your kind of heart of hearts what do you think really will happen to the building?
01:59Well Walsall's got a bad history of buildings burning down I'm afraid and we've got a very very
02:06worried outlook for this place. So yeah we're not sure. We're not sure what the future holds.
02:16Yeah well fingers crossed hopefully it will become something because it is such a lovely building.
02:20It is and it deserves preservation. Absolutely.
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