The Friday Photo: Gosta Green
I post this week’s Friday Photo with my friend and colleague Tracey Thorne in mind. For the ghost sign, rather than the building being a pub! The Gosta Green is found on the Aston University campus. The ghost sign on the side says ‘Holt Brewery Co Ltd Brewers of Malt Ales & Stouts…’ I can’t read the bottle line but it’s something about wine. According the website midlandspubs.co.uk the Holt Brewery Company Ltd was founded in 1887 in Aston. They soon bought out other local breweries and gained a good foothold in the Birmingham market. Ultimately they were absorbed into Ansells brewery in 1934.
As a student I worked at Ansell’s Brewery in Aston for several summers and also here at their Gosta Green Brewery; the old Holt Brewery. I was mostly labouring, storing cleaned wooden barrels before filling with beer. I was most impressed with the machine that cleaned the barrels! A huge Victorian looking monster about 8m long and perhaps 3m high. I have found a photo on the internet but it is spoiled by the copyright sign across it. Does anyone have a photo they would like to share?