History
The Albion Castle was established as a historical landmark in 1974. Albion Castle exemplifies a great history that spans 147 years, and it is currently owned by the Gilbert Family in San Francisco. John Hamlin Burnell, a young English immigrant, is accredited for the foundation of the castle. In 1870, he built the castle with the plans of a state-of-the-art brewery in mind. He named it Albion Porter ; Ale Brewery. Burnell dug two stone cisterns in the castles underground caves which are still producing 8,000-10,000 gallons of natural spring water a day. This gave the castle a boost since its production capacity surpassed those of local breweries.
Due to the passage of the 18th Amendment in the US dubbed Prohibition, the brewery had to be closed down, and it was changed to Albion Water Company in 1919. From 1928 to 1947, the company specialized in the production of bottled drinking water from the cisterns. In 1938 Adrian Voisin bought the castle and added an artistic art using classical interior designs and woodwork. Some of Voisin’s sculptures can still be found hidden in the properties landscape. The castle was under threat of demolition in 1961 because of being adjacent to a road construction plan, but its nature of producing underground spring waters saved it. In case of a nuclear attack on the city, the castle could provide emergency water to the city. It is one of the only natural water sources that cannot be contaminated. In 1998, a renowned artist namely Eric Higgs bought the property and utilized it as an art studio, party location, and a residence. It was then purchased by local brewers from Napa County who reverted it to an Albion Brewery. However the brewery never came to fruition.
In 2012, this perplexing castle was purchased by former San Francisco Police lieutenant and real estate investor Bill Gilbert and his wife Lee Ann. Bill was born and raised in the Bayview district in the 1950’s and as a boy dreamed of one day owning the Albion Castle The structure is currently being rented for small select events, however, plans are underway to bring back the water bottling business to utilize the natural, fresh spring water from the cisterns initiated by the founder.
Author: Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto
spring water
Under the castle, Burnell dug out two stone cisterns, each capturing 8,000 to 10,000 gallons of spring water per day. The 200 foot pools are accessed by a cave entrance, and still provide fresh clean water today.
Owning the castle
Inspired by Norman castles, they built a large, stone structure over the springs and harnessed the waters to produce their beer. After the company closed, it was purchased by an artist, then a water company, and then a private citizen. It continued to slowly decay until Gilbert bought it in 2012.
