• In 1934, December, the New Employment Exchange was built on the corner of Westgate and Acland. It was moved from the old premises on New Road. Before the New Employment Exchange was built in Westgate, St. Mary's Church Hall had to be requisitioned for the overflow of those unemployed.
• In 1993 a Peterborough man, John wood set up a brewery after being made redundant by Pearl Assurance and founded 'Oakham Ales'.
• In 1995 the Oakham Ales was sold to Paul Hook (the owner of Charters Bar in Peterborough) and the brewing was taken over by John Bryan, Oakham's present brewer.
• In 1998, September, the Oakham Ales brewery relocated entirely to Peterborough, into the former Labour Exchange on Westgate where it created 1 of Europe's largest brewpubs 'The Brewery Tap' (Bar and Thai Restaurant). The Brewery Tap was the 1st brewery in the City for 80 years.
• In 2004, after realising that with the increasing popularity of the beers the Westgate site would eventually prove inadequate, the partners invested in a new site in Woodston, Peterborough.
• In 2004 the partners used the same brewery consultant who advised them on the previous moved, Dr Dave Smiff of Yorkshire.
• In 2006 autumn, a 75-barrel brewery site was built at Woodston allowing all the staff to work under 1 roof. It was not intended to de-commission the old plant at Westgate, and it still continues to produce seasonal beers and smaller brew runs.

Architecture:

Employment Exchange Office

Messrs. J Guttridge and Sons, Ltd, who were builders and contractors of Park Road, Peterborough, built the Exchange to the designs of Mr. C. M. Childs, F.R.I.B.A of the office of Works. Their contract price was £5,489.

On the corner was of the building cutting across both streets, was the entrance. To the right was the enquiry room with typist and telephonist.

Next door was the room of the Manager (Mr. W. F Eddowes) and adjoining was a clerk's room. Near was the main public office (45 feet by 32 feet) for registration which was divided by the a counter which ran the whole length, with an area 20 feet deep on the public side and 10 feet behind for the staff. The men's entrance was via a passage, which ran alongside the Billiard Hall, and having passed along the counter, they would have left by another door by Westgate. This ensured a steady flow for the unemployed preventing any congestion at the Counters. It was designed to deal with 6,000 men per week.

At the end of the Counter was a Supervisor's office and also an interview room. The lighting over the counter was a special design and this was one of the first Exchanges in which this system was installed. It was supplementary to the general lighting of the hall, independent cup-lights with individual switches being fixed over each division of the counter. There was accommodation for 9 clerks at the counter and for a total of sixteen in this department.

For women and juveniles (up to 18) there were separate entrances from Acland Street, which lead to separate counters, much smaller than those in the men's hall.

The principal room upstairs was a spacious Board Room, which was used by the Local Employment Committee and the Juvenile Advisory Committee, which met quarterly and by the Court of Referees, which met once a week. A special ceiling of Celotex panelling was fitted to give better acoustic properties. On this floor there was also the Finance Officer room with stationary cupboards and a staff mess-room, which was fitted with a gas-cooker, sink and domestic hot-water service. The whole building was heated by radios fed from a boiler in the basement, which had five sectional controls for the regulation of the heating in different parts of the building.

Brewery Tap

The Brewery Tap covers and area of 7500 square and is home to multi award winning microbrewery Oakham Ales. The exterior was hand-made red sand faced bricks and the roof was tiled. The Brewery Tap has a capacity of 700 people and capable of producing 140 barrels a day. The ambitious venture cost £800,000 and created more than 12 jobs for brewers and bar staff.

An original copper dome - saved after the demolition of another established brewery, covers the entrance to the pub. The Brewery Tap pub in Peterborough has an open plan layout and is sympathetically designed with blue painted pillars, steel corded balcony and mezzanine first floor.

The unique layout of this pub enables customers to relax in this local Peterborough public house and watch their food being prepared through a high level window, which looks into the kitchen, before being served to their table.

The pub has a glass window through to the microbrewery, where Oakham Ales' range of beers is produced. It allows the pub-goers to view the brewing process in action. The tanks hold 50 barrels of beer.

Social history:

• In 1790 to 1855, Buckles Brewery on Queen Street supplied ale to the Norman Cross prisoner of war camp.
• In 1917, the Oakham Ales was the first working brewery since Butlack closed its operation in Monument Street.
• In 1993, the Oakham Ales was a purpose-built plant, commissioned from Brewcare and 2 units on a small industrial estate in Oakham Rutland.
• In 1996, Bishop's Farewell was introduced and replaced Hunky Dory in the permanent range.
• In early 1995, Hunky Dory was added to the Brewery Taps product range winning more awards in Nottingham, Lincoln and Peterborough festivals as well as CAMRA's Dan Kane award.
• In 1996, the brewery was extended into an additional unit on the Industrial estate and additional plant and storage were installed.
• Oakham Ales has won several awards for its portfolio of 10 beers. In 1998 it won a silver medal at the Beer Festival in London for its JHB bitter.
• Oakham's beers increased in popularity and won the 2001 Supreme Champion Beer of Britain with JHB, which began to be bottled in 2002.
• Other breweries in the region include Wisbeach brewer Elgood's, founded in 1878, and the Deeping Ales, set up by Keith and Jayne Emmerson in January 1997.
• The only other surviving site in the city is the former Welldon's Brewery in Palmerston Road whose chimney still dominates the skyline.