The Arches celebrates Warwickshire business hub
Entrepreneurs are inviting people to make tracks to The Old Town Railway Arches for a special day celebrating their thriving business hub.
It is hoped the event, on July 8th, will attract more interest in The Victoria Business Centre in Leamington Spa, which already houses several small and artisan enterprises.
The event has been organised by four of the businesses which operate out of The Arches - Windmill Hill Brewing Company, BRUBL Beer, Warwickshire Gin Company and Vice Motorcycles.
Visitors will be able to take part in a host of family activities, enjoy food and live music as well as learn more about the area’s rich history going back two centuries, through a series of displays.
Windmill Hill Brewing Company was established six years ago by friends Gavin Leach and Rob Singleton and now brews and sells award-winning seasonal and limited-edition craft ales.
Ahead of the event, Gavin said: “It’s the first time we’ve done something like this. We want to open our businesses up and so people can see what we get up to down here and drum up some interest. We’d encourage people to pop down, talk to us and see first-hand what we do.”
Visitors on the day will also have the opportunity to see motorcycles on display, including a Triumph Bonneville with sidecar and Vice Motorcycles’ TT Lightweight custom Mutt, back in Leamington after being displayed at shows in London and Thruxton Racetrack as well as Mutt HQ in Birmingham.
Vice Motorcycles build custom bikes and manufacture parts for Triumph motorbikes. Founder and manager Carl Harris has been based at The Arches for the past six years and has spent his working life in product design-related industries.
He said: “This area is not appreciated enough for its history and thriving business community so we hope to address that through this first open day.”
The Arches has been home to Warwickshire Gin Company, run by Dave Blick, for five years. The hand-crafted drinks range of five gins and a rum and vodka recipe, are all inspired by historical events, with two more rums soon to launch. They also offer gin tasting experiences.
The newest Arches tenant is BRUBL Beer, run by Nathan Barnes who moved in at the end of last year after building the business which started life as a home-built garden beer shed in lockdown.
BRUBL continues to add to its wide range of ales, from an easy-drinking IPA, ‘Highway to Hop’ 4.3% ABV, to the luxurious, deliciously dark ‘Baltic Smoked Porter’ 7.6% ABV.
Nathan said: “With all the artisan businesses here, this area has real potential to become a future destination for businesses. We want people to come down here and enjoy our products and linger a while longer.”
Other businesses based in The Arches engage in cake-making, metal casting, vehicle and shop signage and even power lifting and amateur wrestling! The event runs between 12-10pm.
