Production of malt at Sleaford Maltings only lasted about fifty years. The plant went into full
production in 1906 and could produce 60,000 quarters of malt per season. But some of the malt houses were
redundant by the time of the Second World War and malting production finished in 1959: the old infrastructure
was out-dated, it was too costly to maintain, and new malting processes had been developed.
The buildings were rented out for the next ten years before the site was purchased by GW Padley (Property) Limited who
used it for chicken rearing and vegetable processing. Some of the malting houses were converted for this process and had
their conveyor systems removed; others (which we didn’t explore) were left with the machinery still in place.
The maltings were Grade II listed in 1974 but this didn’t prevent a demolition application in 1982 which was turned down.
The chicken rearing at the maltings ceased when new residential dwellings were built near the plant and Health and
Safety Executive shut them down. With no viable uses, the maltings became derelict.
