Out of Place

Flint is a rarity, either in the ground or in the architecture. This contrasts with many other parts of England - Norwich comes to mind - where it is a common facing materiel. Flint pebbles can be found here, but they have mostly been brought by glaciers, or by human agency - in stone age tools and weapons, for example. Large flints suitable for use on buildings are almost always found in the chalk rocks south and east of here

Flint is usually created by the impact of biological processes on the chalk after its formation on the sea bed. Bacteria in the sediment release hydrogen sulphide; this reacts with oxygen that is brought to the sea bed by the falling sediment - the bones of dead sea creatures. Hydrogen sulphide and oxygen react to create sulphuric acid, which both dissolves the chalk and precipitates silica (which also originates from the skeletons of marine organisms). The silica aggregates into nodules that harden into flint

We have been to Stow-on-the-Wold many times, but never noticed this building before. I think maybe the rain highlighted the contrast between the dark flint and light flint, used to create the decorative facing. The very existence of a flint-faced building provoked our curiosity

In 1837, two churchwardens and a librarian founded a brewery in the town. That being the year of her coronation, it is unsurprising that they called it the 'Victoria Brewery'. Thirty-two years later, under new ownership, this office building was constructed at the entrance - imposing enough to deter anyone whose business was not entirely legitimate, I think. The office occupied only the ground floor, the upper room being a meeting place for the local Masonic lodge, whose number included one of the owners

The decision to use a flint facing on a building in local stone is whimsical - I can find no explanation other than the owners' personal fancy. It must have had a significant cost in materials, transport and labour. I don't think it's anything to do with Masonic symbolism, and there are no other external signs of the building's secondary purpose

The brewery closed in 1913 and was taken over by someone who was taken over by... repeat until you reach Whitbread. I don't think there has been any brewing here since 1913, but it is still "The Brewery Yard", it is still the "Office" and its eccentric flint wall is still there