Brewery History
The brewery at Hook Norton is rooted in an age when most towns and even large villages boasted their own brewery.
Approach the village of Hook Norton from any direction and the first thing you see is the Church tower. The second is the flag waving proudly over the brewery. The Hook Norton Brewery was started over 150 years ago by farmer and maltster John Harris.
Today it is run by his great great grandson James Clarke. John Harris' brewery has now achieved a reputation he could have never imagined and the beer it produces today is enjoyed not only in the UK but in many other countries.
The Beginnings of a brewery
Hook Norton Brewery remains one of only 32 independent family-run breweries; and you won’t find a finer example of a Victorian tower brewery anywhere. The brewery can trace it's origins back to 1849. It began when John Harris(pictured below) moved into Hook Norton and purchased a farm of 52 acres that also included a malt house. The farm was located in a picturesque part of the village known as Scotland end.
Taking over the existing trade as a maltster began by the previous owner of the brewery. Soon expanding the business by becoming a dealer in hops, John Harris started what would become the Hook Norton Brewery .
He was the only maltster in the village and supplied local brewers. Many would have been village inn keepers like The Sun and the The Red Lion. It is mentioned that he also supplied a local man named John Gibbard who sold beer from the front room of his cottage. Added to this list of brewers would be farmers who would provide the beer `to their workers toiling in the fields. In a village as large as Hook Norton there was considerable demand for John Harris's malt and hoops.
It is likely that commercial brewing started at Hook Norton around 1856 with the installation of 3 fermenting vessels. We also have evidence of this from the brewing books. These books keep a record of every brew. They are numbered and dated and the first book begins with brew No.1 on November 24th 1856 and is described as 'Mild XXX'.
The frequency of the brewing at the start was a little intermittent at the start with gaps of sometime a month between brews. But it was usually 3 days a week for the first few years.
The Brewery expands
The brewery increased its output over the next 10 years. This success made the enlargement of the existing buildings necessary to accommodate new equipment like a 4th fermenting vessel. There is record of a new apprentice toward the end of the 1860's to be trained as a brewer.
In 1880 a plan for a new building and steam engine as well as the new malthouse built 14 year earlier in 1866 would indicate a sizeable enlargement or the premises.
John Harris was still suppling malt to his customers but the amount of public houses still brewing their own ale was in decline. At this time he increased the sale of beer to local publicans.
In 1859 came beginning of the breweries tied estate when he purchased the beer house in DownEnd and some yeas later in 1869 purchased the Pear Tree Inn in Hook Norton.
After the death of John Harris in 1887 the day to day running of the brewery was managed by one of his nephews Alban Clarke (pictured left).
Now the brewery underwent an enthusiastic building program doubling the size.
Alban began with a bottling room, store and wash shed in 1890. Then 4 years later there followed a stable block.
The next project was to construct new offices and the final stage was the construction of the new six storey brewery on the site of the existing building.
On the ground floor of the new brewery was installed a fine 25 horsepower steam engine, supplying through a series of belts, cogs and shafts most of the motive power the brewery needs to to pump water from the well below.
This engine is still in working order and will still occasionally provide power for the brewing process. It is believed to be the last steam engine in the country still used for its original purpose.
The Shire Horse at Work in the brewery
The shire horse drawn dray at Hook Norton ceased deliveries in 1950, but was revitalised in 1985, mainly for public relation purposes. The shire horses now only deliver locally within 5 miles of the brewery, but attend many public functions such as fetes, pub openings and on the odd occasion, weddings. It should be noted that out of all of the breweries that own horse drawn drays, only two still actually deliver their products by dray and shire horse. At present the Brewery has three shire horses (Consul, Major and Nelson), who are looked after by their two draymen Roger Hughes and Philip White.
