A CIRENCESTER historian has delved into the archives to discover the fascinating history behind one of the town’s landmark buildings.

From an old brewery to the hub of the arts and crafts world, Joyce Moss has traced the past of the New Brewery Arts in her new book.

New Brewery Arts – From the Beginning to the Present Day illustrates the many past lives of the site from the Cripp’s family brewery of the 18th century to the battle to save it as the Cirencester Workshops from 1977 and ending with the launch of the New Brewery Arts in 2008.

Joyce, who works as a steward in the centre and previously taught history, discovered there was no in-depth study of the brewery and its long past.

She had just finished a project on the Washington Family farms in Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Joyce gathered her research from Gloucestershire archives and archives at the brewery and interviewed some of the main players.

"It was a matter of patching together what I could. I got to speak to so many people through the book, like Robin Dunipace, who set up the workshops in 1977," she said.

‘It turned out to be very interesting and lots of people over the years have put huge efforts into the workshops and Niccol Centre and now the whole building."

The book is available to buy from the craft gallery shop in New Brewery Arts for £9.99.