RAISE a toast to 1764!
For that’s the year that Lytham Hall’s Georgian façade was built.
And it’s also the name of the special hand-pulled ale – brewed to celebrate the mansion’s 250th birthday – which has proved a best seller across the Fylde, Lancashire and beyond during the summer.
Hall chiefs teamed up with big-hearted Lytham Brewery to mark the milestone anniversary of the currently building, which was built by John Carr of York between 1757-64 and incorporates the remains of an early 17th Century manor and the original Benedictine Priory.
And it has proved a huge success at pubs and clubs from the County, Taps and Ship and Royal in Lytham, the Number 15 in St Annes – to a host of outlets across the North West from Liverpool to Lancaster, as well as beer festivals across the UK.
By showing their support by sinking some 7,000 of pints of “Lytham Hall 1764 ” – described as a very pale, blonde 4.0% ale with a long lasting creamy white head – beer lovers have also been boosting the Hall renovation fund.
The St Annes-based brewery donated barrels of the beer at the Hall’s popular tea room – with the full price of a pint sold on the premises going to fund the hall repairs – amounting to hundreds of pounds!
And an additional £5 per cask is being given by the brewery to the Hall for every one of the 100 or more firkins of their unique beer, it sells.
The beer has been produced by father and son team Andrew and James Booker at their booming micro brewery operation in Lord Street, St Annes.
James said: “We aim to produce the beer in special two or three-bottle packs with a glass, which would make a nice take home gifts or souvenirs – and would go on sale at local stores.”
The beer proved extremely popular at the Hall’s official birthday celebrations earlier this month and CAMRA also featured the beer at their highly successful Beer Festival at Lowther Pavilion, Lytham.
It is hoped the special ale will increase Lytham Hall ’s profile – with work set to start in earnest on the interior and exterior of the hall as part of a £5.9m restoration project in 2015. Visitors have already seen a huge difference in the historic parkland with extensive work on the woodlands, gardens and Mount.
Marianne Blaauboer, Activity Plan Officer at Lytham Hall said : “This partnership with Lytham Brewery has offered a very novel approach to raise our profile and get some much needed extra income to the Hall, and we remain thankful to Lytham Brewery for embracing the idea whole-heartedly. We look forward to seeing the bottles and hope to sell them from our tea room and see them on display in local and regional outlets.”
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Editorial note: For more information, contact Marianne Blaauboer, Activity Plan Officer:
Lytham Hall is owned by Lytham Town Trust (charity no. 1000098) and managed by Heritage Trust for the North West (charity no.508300). We are currently implementing a £5.9 million restoration programme, part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.