EAR the Welsh border, in the Shropshire market town of Bishop's Castle, you sense a buzz of a 'work hard - play hard' community.

Small wonder the 1,800 strong populace knows how to "play hard". It is served by the Six Bells Brewery and six pubs, all within half a mile and is now about to see the revival of its famous, old landmark, The Three Tuns Brewery.

For just four months, after starting a £90,000 refurbishment, the old brewery, owned by John Roberts' Brewing Company Limited is close to brewing its first pint in almost two years; some turn-around from a year ago when the town greeted with dismay a proposal to convert it to housing.

The refurbishment has been the buildings, on a site where brewing has taken place for nearly 400 years, comprising a 17th Century part-timbered section (possibly the original brew house) a fine, miniature, Victorian tower - the last working example in the country - substantially improved.

Tower breweries were a product of Victorian ingenuity. The movement of liquids through the brewing vessels could be easily achieved if the main ingredients, malt and water, were winched and pumped to the top of a tower so that gravity could achieve all the transfers during the process.

The brewery is renowned to cask beer lovers worldwide. Many confess to visiting the town purely to see the brewery and sample the beer.

Brewing director, Bill Bainbridge, retired from practice as a Telford solicitor just under three years ago came to the rescue when the housing plans came to light and bought the brewery from the owners of the Three Tuns Inn next door. He cheerfully remembers the wet, windy, January day when he and local roofer, Alan Parry - himself no stranger to the town's pubs - started stripping the roof.

"Unforgettable," says Bill, "watching from the tower roof, snow driving over the town and across the valley to the Long Mynd is indelibly etched on my memory, but that already seems an age away. The new roof is on, insulated and boarded out inside, the 17th century fermenting room architecture is displayed behind clear polypropylene, providing a better fermenting environment. Floors have been reinforced to carry additional vessels to improve the process and expand capacity, we've decorated inside and out and done a lot of work on the brewing equipment."

With advice from local brewery consultants, Stephen Griffin and Phil Robinson, much original equipment has been retained. The cast iron hot liquor tank, re-lined and extended with stainless steel and the grist case - now ply-clad - all date from building of the tower, about 1888. The copper cooling tank is of the same age, but out of service in favour of a modern plate cooler, and is displayed as a museum piece.

Stephen comments: "I'd bet that was the last working example, but its too much of a micro-biological liability today!"

A copper fermenting vessel bearing the date 1880 on its excise plate pre-dates the tower.

Fabricator and plumber, Glyn Jones, from nearby Buttington Smithy, had made the hot liquor tank liner, a new floor and lid for the mash tun, and a lid for the kettle and is stalling the plumbing improvements.

And before producing a drop, the management has been strengthened by appointment of finance and marketing director, John Russell, a former city trader, known as "Geyser", to spearhead development.

Bill, jokingly says: "I'm the brewer; Geyser's the brains!" John has big plans, "Starting with potential weekly output of 40 barrels - just short of 1500 gallons - a step to 60 barrels weekly can be achieved with a couple of extra vessels and we reckon we can more than double the capacity by installing a 20 to 25 barrel plant, instead of the present 10, when we need it. I want the beers to go far an wide in the free trade."

And, as a start, Bill and John hope to have four cask beers on trial at the Three Tuns Inn by early August.