NHER 55687 (Building record) - Hills & Underwood's Vinegar Distillery

Large vinegar distilling factory. Brick buildings with Bath stone facing. An undated line drawing shows site before urban development in the area, likely no later than 1900. The drawing shows an extensive site with 2 large brick chimneys.
NIAS surveyed before demolition in 1979. They noted a large tablet of Bath stone set into the western front of the building carved with "Vinegar Works". The large stone window frame below it was carved with "Established 1762 Rebuilt 1865". The original facility occupied premises in Duke's Palace Yard in 1762, but over the next century the business expanded rapidly and a new works (designed by John Bunn) was built next to the Wensum in 1865 covering an area of 1.161 hectares. Easy river access and the close vicinity of the Thorpe Station meant for easy distribution, and Hills & Underwood quickly became the largest vinegar manufacturers in the city. However in 1911 they were bought out by a London company and the works were closed. The granary buildings were demolished and only the main brewery remained. Since then the main building had deteriorated, as evidenced by NIAS's photographic survey, but was still in use as a cold storage facility for meat packing companies shortly before demolition in 1979. The full complex is visible on the 1st edition 1 inch ordnance survey map (S1) and the main building is visible on RAF aerial photographs from 1946.
See (S2).
W. Arnold (HES), 17 June 2011.