Three Wise Monkeys to turn old Jacks building into a brewery

Three Wise Monkeys, in High Street, has agreed terms with Colchester Council to take over the former Jacks building, in St Nicholas Street.

The venue launched Other Monkey Brewing from its basement last year but demand is already out-striping supply.

So when plans to overhaul the Colchester Council-owned Jacks, next door, bar boss Paul Tonkinson decided it was time to expand.

At work - Aidan Kerins

The authority’s ruling cabinet has now approved the plans in principle and will hand over the building on a long-term lease.

Bar bosses will then carry out a major refurbishment as they aim to keep the charm of the well-known building while creating a modern craft brewery.

Mr Tonkinson said despite critics writing off Colchester town centre, he has no concerns about making the investment, especially as the East of England Co-op’s plans to create a new St Nicholas Square outside the bar have been given the go ahead.

He said: “In addition to the work on Jacks itself, it is crucial that the ideas to reimagine the St Nicholas Square area into a public space go ahead.

Future? - how St Nicholas Square could look

“If they do, we know that committing to a long-term lease and expanding our current business footprint will be well justified.”

He added: “A continental style outside space so close to the castle will improve the appeal of the area by providing a vibrant focal point for locals and tourists alike.

“In turn, that will encourage other unique, independent businesses to invest in the area.

“We firmly believe that Colchester’s town centre is a sleeping giant and are prepared to make another significant investment via Other Monkey Brewing at Jacks.

“There is no doom and gloom from our perspective. There are a lot of good businesses in this town already and more are on their way.

Peek - the inside of the former Jacks store 

“Colchester is a wonderfully historic town with a rapidly growing population.

“No out of town precinct will ever have Jumbo, the castle, sprawling Roman ruins and medieval buildings as neighbours, but we will.

“For a modern town centre to be successful, it can’t just hope for more of the same, it needs to reinvent itself.”

Mr Tonkinson added his brewers had become a victim of their own success and are now struggling to keep up with demand.

He added: “We need room to grow and the opportunity to move next door into such a beautiful building was too good to pass up.”

The plans will create ten new jobs but the bar boss hopes the move will mean more than that.

He added: “It isn’t only about us creating more jobs, which we love to do, it is also about us undertaking community projects and working with other local businesses, so we can all thrive together.

“The bigger brew space will allow us to do more collaboration brews with like-minded people.

“That is hugely exciting to us.

“We will also have the space and production capacity to supply our beer to other pubs and restaurants plus offer a retail experience from within the brewery itself.”

The Three Wise Monkeys tap house will continue to stock other breweries’ products.

The bar boss added: “We hope that more independent breweries will pop up in the local area. There are some good ones already and a few more would be marvellous for beer lovers in the region.”

Mark Cory, Colchester councillor responsible for resourcs, said: “Jacks has a very important part in the history of the town centre and is cherished by many residents, which is why we are so pleased to be able to invest in bringing this iconic building back into use and enable a thriving local business to expand.

“The Three Wise Monkeys represents the future opportunities for Colchester.

"I am delighted that they are expanding and investing in Colchester. I can't wait to try their newly brewed beers!”