Castle Rock Brewery plans a new home in a Victorian brewery in Old Basford

For many Nottingham drinkers, a pint of Harvest Pale is a familiar and much-loved local tradition. Now Castle Rock Brewery, the independent brewer and pub company behind it, is preparing for a new chapter, with a move to a historic brewery building in Old Basford.

In September 2026 the company confirmed it had secured planning permission to relocate to the former Murphy and Son site in Old Basford. News that its city-centre brewery site had been sold first broke in November 2024, and the lease there runs until March 2027. The search for a new home took almost two years.

The chosen building has a fitting past. It was constructed in 1891 for the Prince of Wales Brewery and was a working brewery until the early 20th century. In the company's words: "We are so excited to not only continue our journey as a brewery at this historic site." Meanwhile, the Vat and Fiddle pub next to the current brewery remains business as usual.

The Castle Rock story began in Newark, where Chris Holmes opened the Old King's Arms, a pub the company describes as "an act of defiance against an industry dominated by monopolistic brewers." The brewery followed some twenty years later, and today there are more than twenty pubs in the Castle Rock family across Nottinghamshire, from city-centre craft beer bars to traditional country pubs.

Its beers have earned national praise. In 2010 Harvest Pale was crowned Supreme Champion Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival, and it remains the brewery's best seller. Regulars such as Screech Owl, an American-style IPA, sit alongside collaborations, including recent brews with Arbor of Bristol and Loch Lomond Brewery.

There is plenty to look forward to. 2027 will mark 50 years as a pub group and 30 years as a brewery, with events, special beers and a #RememberWhen campaign inviting customers to share their Castle Rock memories. "Our core mission has and will always be to bring people together," the brewery says.

Pub locations, beers and anniversary news are on the Castle Rock Brewery website, which is also the place to share your own Castle Rock memories.