Tucked away from Maldon’s main drag is the old grain store facing Templeton Street, built in 1866 and run by the Maldon Co-operative Store Trading Company until its sale to John Brooks in 1872. It’s a striking building, perched high on the corner of Edwards St, retaining a multitude of historic details, including advertising and patina.
The building is heritage-listed, with the Victorian Heritage Database highlighting that the co-operative model was a 19th-century innovation, designed to leave out the ‘middle-men’ and give control of wages and conditions to food producers and distributors. So the social history of the Brooks Store is significant, as much as the bricks and mortar.
The original building has been extended a number of times since it was built, contributing to its varying heights, materials and architectural shapes. The heritage report states: “Much of the internal fixtures and fittings still exist in-situ” and describes it as “an unusually intact building.”
One of the most fascinating facts about this building is that the family of John Brooks continued to run a general store from this building for 114 years until it closed in 1986.
The Brooks Grain Store is a hop and a step away from Main Street and worth a wander. While admiring its heritage features, be aware that this marvellous old building is privately owned.
This article appeared in Tarrangower Times, 15 August 2025.
