Geograph - photograph every grid square

By the turn of the C20th, Sleaford was considered well placed for a malting complex on this scale. It was close to extensive fields of barley, could rely upon a seasonal workforce for the summer harvest, the area was served by a plentiful water supply thanks to an artesian well that had been dug at the end of C19th and the railway was close by. Covering a geographical area of over 13 acres and benefiting from some 500,000 sq ft of floor space these maltings took 6 years to build (1901-06) and cost around £350,000. By the end of WWII however, with the malt industry in a state of continuing decline, production finally ceased in 1959. The infrastructure had become out-dated and too costly to maintain. In 1973 the Sleaford Bass Maltings were purchased by a local firm for chicken rearing and vegetable processing. However, its use for chicken rearing ended in the 1990s when approval was given for residential development of adjacent land.