This set of buildings was designed for specific industrial process, turning starch in the form of grain into sugar in the form of malt.  It is in fact a very large machine with the buildings and contents dedicated to a single purpose.  They are part of a widespread system of maltings constructed by Bass to serve their brewery in Burton on Trent.  Site selection depended on water quality and availability, access to grain, and communications - in this case by rail.

The organisation of the buildings follows the malting process and this is briefly summarised as follows:

At the centre of the group, facing south, the Water tower rises above the Engine Room, with the Artesian Well Head at the rear.  Power transmissions run east west along balconies at the third floor level, driving equipment in each building.  Extensive remains of the power transmission remain in situ.

To the north the central buildings are designed to receive and prepare grain for malting.

In the central north section is a Granary with a hoist to receive incoming grain from the railway.  The grain passed to the Barley Kiln, in the central section, where it was conditioned to the correct humidity for the malting process.  From here it passed to the five storey central Warehouse/Granary from where the grain was distributed along conveyor bridges to the malting buildings.

Each malting building is organised in an identical manner.  Grain arrived into the room space over the Germinating Floors.  On the top floor of the building machinery was located for cleaning and to prepare the grain before conveying it to the top of the Steeps buildings where the Tower Floors form Grain Silos.

From here the grain was deposited by gravity into large cast iron tanks, the Steeps, for soaking, and from there the west grain ('the Piece') was piped onto the Germinating Floors where it were spread out across the floor to germinate.  Regular turning and raking was required to aerate the "Piece" and prevent the shoots growing together to form a mat.

From the Germinating Floors the grain was moved to the Malt Kilns where the germinating process was arrested by heating and excess moisture was driven off.  The malted grin was then passed into the final south granary where it was again cleaned before being returned to the railway system for transport to Burton.