[1] 1897 – The dividend was reduced again to a level of 5 percent and the chairman during his annual report spoke of the troubles the company had faced, but which were now past: major modernisation of the equipment had been undertaken in the previous year and the brewery was now producing among the best beer in the Colony.

Other improvements at the plant included asphalting the enclosure, repainting throughout, weather sheds to protect casks from sun damage, new cellars and vats.

During the complete renovations undertaken to counter this problem, brewing was transferred to the buildings purchased earlier from the Great Northern Brewery.

[1] Partly as a result of the loss of trade during this period and due to increasing competition from Sydney, the dividend never rose above 4 percent during the remainder of the 1890s.

[1] 1898 – The renovations were completed at a total cost of £10,000 and the brewery was noted as being equipped with all the most modern appliances and capable of producing up to 800 to 900 hogsheads per week and up to 100 dozen bottled beer per day.

[1] 1899 – At the Annual General Meeting the directors complained that Tooth & Co and Tooheys from Sydney had plenty of money and were using it freely to secure business.

[1] 1911 – The chairman, Mr. H. H. Long, noted that performance had been satisfactory given the adverse circumstances under which the brewery had been working during the previous twelve months.

[1] 1912 – This year marked the twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Castlemaine Brewery and Wood Bros. and Company Newcastle NSW Limited.

[1] Further improvements costing almost £20,000 had been made which included about £6,000 expended in the building and equipping of a new bottling department, rendered necessary by the increased demand for the company's product.

This reference is to the building facing Hunter Street designed by Castleden to house offices in the single-storey section and the bottling department in the two-storey portion to the rear.

Competition from other Sydney and Melbourne brewers and an apparent partiality for these "foreign" brews by the local people were given as reasons for the closure.

More than 50 men were stood down and brewing ceased in Newcastle for nearly 40 years until Tooheys opened its Cardiff plant.

[1] 1938 – As business improved after the Depression, Tooth & Co decided to use the former brewery as a depot for the distribution of their products manufactured in Sydney.

The alterations involved the removal of all the brewing equipment, demolition of the power generating plant and erection of garages and buildings for the handling of packaged beer.

In 1912 the east wing was altered internally by raising the ground floor to match the later additions and a parapet was added to the northern wall.

Pitt and Merewether designed extensive internal modifications to convert the buildings into a storage distribution depot in 1938, including drastic alterations to the northern ground floor to allow for new awnings and a loading dock.

In 1897 the ground floor was converted to refrigeration storage through the addition of cork insulation and loading access was created from the Hunter Street courtyard.

[1] A two-storey construction, originally housing bottling equipment, with a single-storey section on Hunter Street for the office and reception area.

The single-storey section has a triangular pediment over an entry portico, with rendered pilasters to add continuity to the Hunter Street facade.

The two-storey section echoes the office, with the addition of a curved gable and a bullseye window common to the Federation style of the early 20th century.

[1] Removed from the main complex, a single-storey brick building with a galvanised iron roof for draining returned beer kegs was constructed in 1938.

Additionally, the item is unusual in the architectural sensitivity used during subsequent stages of construction, resulting in a significant industrial streetscape.

[1] Castlemaine Brewery was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The Brewery is an excellent example of strong, but simplistic industrial architecture of the 19th century and has been a major visual element and landmark in Newcastle's skyline since its erection.

[1] Media related to Castlemaine Brewery at Wikimedia Commons This Wikipedia article was originally based on Castlemaine Brewery (former), entry number 00312 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 1 June 2018.