The Royal Brewery occupied quite an extensive site facing onto Crocker Street on the south, the Newport to Freshwater railway embankment on the north, St. Cross mill to the west and the approach to Newport's main railway station on the east.  There was also access to Newport harbour via the Lukley brook and transport via this outlet to the brewery's mainland pubs was an important part of the brewery's distribution.  Today, all trace of the old brewery has gone, a housing development sits where the old maltings stood and a Currys' Superstore occupies the main part of the yard.  The railway went long before the demise of the brewery, the Newport to Freshwater railway embankment now carries a new road called Hunnycross Way which links Hunnyhill to Newport's eastern relief road.  This eastern relief road, called Medina Way, goes right through the old station site.

This is the view looking east midway along Crocker Street, notice the iron work above the windows.

The maltings looking north at the eastern end of Crocker Street.

The offices on the corner of St. Cross lane, this was the entrance to the yard opposite the beer stage.

Crocker Street buildings looking west, note the notice under the door to the hoist.

This is the western end of the maltings and a scene of dereliction, at one time access to the brewery
came in some main gates to the south of this area..

The western side of St. Cross mill, this was the western extremity of the Royal brewery, beyond lay
the brick arches of the railway viaduct and Hunnyhill.

A photograph taken looking east towards the maltings showing the boiler house,  the edge of the canopy
of the beer stage can just be seen on the  far left of the picture.

                                                                        The great flood of 1960.
 A damn had been built at the bottom of Hunnyhill to stop the brewery flooding, however, it gave way and a tidal wave of water swept into the brewery.  The store's wall took the brunt and the damage is clear to see.  The water went on to blast through the yard, lifting the tarmac, dropping it down on the lorries and washing kegs of ale down the River Medina.
My old friend, now deceased, Arthur Sexton (Art), who worked and lived opposite the brewery in Crocker Street at the time, recalled being called in on a Sunday to man the launch.  Its mission was to go down the river to retrieve lost barrels.  However, it was all too late, nippers lay drunk on the river banks where the kegs had landed, in fact one barrel even turned up in France...... Cheers!

The view from the top of the gashouse overlooking the quay.  The 4X sits moored up ready for loading and the Dolphin Inn (top left of the picture) sleeps in the midday sun.

An early interior view of the bottle store, look at those stone jars!  Thousands were smashed in a skip in the 1970's
when Whitbread replaced them with plastic poly barrels.

Back to that hoist in Crocker Street, here's a close up of the notice.  There was a similar one in Holyrood Street
opposite the Railway Medina pub.  Do you remember those diagonal iron gratings in the window below?

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