Tomorrow is a very special day for a Dorchester area that has rapidly become part of the fabric of the county town.

Brewery Square will celebrate its 10th anniversary with music and dancing in the square from 7pm tomorrow, featuring special guest Robin Windsor from Strictly Come Dancing.

It seems timely, then, to look at some of the history of Brewery Square, which was built on the site of the Eldridge Pope Brewery.

This traditional brewery was built in 1880 and opened in 1881. It was run by a limited company called Eldridge Pope & Co. Limited, which was incorporated on 29 April 1897, and provided Dorchester with employment and a bustling economy for more than 100 years.

Its origins can be traced back to Charles Eldridge’s investment in the small Green Dragon Brewery in 1831. After his death, his wife Sarah formed a partnership with Samuel Mason who ran the brewery together until her son-in-law John Tizard inherited it after her death.

When Mason retired, a shrewd business move from new investor Edwin Pope guaranteed that upon John’s death, less than a year later, the Popes would gain full control of the company. The Popes proceeded to expand the business by building a larger brewery adjacent to the railway line to capitalise on the easy distribution of their beer around the whole country.

The new brewery was designed by renowned architect W.R. Crickmay (Thomas Hardy’s mentor) who introduced the much-admired red brick façade. When the brewery opened its doors in 1881 it was already the town’s largest employer.

In 1978, a new ale was launched to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the death of Thomas Hardy, which at 13 per cent made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the UK's strongest commercially brewed beer. Thomas Hardy’s ale proved a big success until the brewery hit financial difficulties and stopped producing the ale in 1999. The brewery finally closed its doors in 2003.

The first phase of the £100 million development we know so well today followed the 2003 sale of the land to Waterhouse Group, headed up by Andrew Wadsworth and Robert Ackland.

Waterhouse obtained planning permission for a mixed-use redevelopment of the 11.5-acre site into apartments, retail space, restaurants, hotel, the 48-bed Signature House Care Home and an ODEON cinema. The first resident moved into the Eldridge Pope Building in August 2008.

Phase 1 involved the construction of a new health centre, shops and apartments and was completed in 2008. Resolution Property joined the project as a joint venture partner ahead of the next phase commencing in 2011.

Phase 2A included the development of 66 residential apartments, a new cinema, nine restaurants and cafes, a new Premier Inn hotel (featuring the Thyme Bar & Grill), and retail space all set around a central fountain square. The 37-jet fountain and lighting installation is situated below the Screen on the Square, which is now used to advertise local businesses, show short films and major sporting events. This phase of the development was completed in 2013.

Following this, Phase 2B included the development of Brewery Square Gardens, providing 131 apartments in the Cooperage, Keg Store, Copper Crescent, Barley Building and Hop House. The one, two and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses are spread over six floors with a central courtyard garden, which can only be used by the residents, and features a chalice sculpture by award-winning sculptor David Harber. This phase also introduced two levels of basement car parking for residents.

The retailers who have made themselves at home within Brewery Square include Phase Eight, Hobbs, Joules, Stems, Morrish & Banham Wine Merchant and Tasting Room, Avenue Interiors, Maxgate Properties, Woods Furniture, Moorland Express, Jacqueline’s Boutique, Margo & Mya, Belle Modelle, and Dorchester Art Gallery.

The health and beauty establishments in the Square are Anytime Fitness, Thomas J William, and The Highbrow Clinic.

Restaurants, cafés and bars include Côte Brasserie, Pizza Express, Carluccio's, Nando’s, Wagamama, Thyme Bar & Grill at Premier Inn, Zizzi, Hendover Café, The Deli Kitchen, Costa, Creams Café, Curiositea, Vivo Lounge and Brewhouse and Kitchen.

The development of Brewery Square has created in excess of 400 jobs and a total of 293 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, including close care accommodation and affordable housing.

In addition to this, Brewery Square has just launched a total of 10 modern one-bedroom loft style apartments on Eldridge Street.

Situated in the heart of Brewery Square, on Eldridge Street, the one-bedroom apartments include a range of the latest features with modern open plan living, electric underfloor heating, and allocated on street parking.

Robert Ackland, director at Brewery Square, commented: “When Andrew and I developed the plans for Brewery Square we wanted to retain as much of the original character as possible and ensure that the features of the Grade II-listed buildings are accentuated, rather than hidden away.

“We worked alongside CZWG, our architects, to design new buildings with high specification contemporary interiors, whilst also retaining the impressive, listed buildings. Piers Gough, partner of CZWG, has created a wide range of exciting new architecture that complements the character of the historic buildings.

“Brewery Square has developed to become a vibrant and important part of the local community, and we look forward to completing the final phases of the development.”