Things to do · Hook Norton
Hook Norton Brewery
A family brewery in a Victorian tower at Hook Norton, with a steam engine of 1899, Shire horses that still deliver to two village pubs, and tours at £25. The climb is over 100 open steps, and there is a gentler monthly option. Shop and kitchen open daily.
Dog-friendly
A working Victorian brewery you walk up through, with a tasting at the end. The steps are a true limit, so read the rules before you book. Anyone who cannot climb can still come for the kitchen, shop and museum, or the monthly Steep Brewery Experience.
- Good: Tutored tasting in the cellar bar at the end of the tour
- Good: Steep Brewery Experience: step-free, on the last Wednesday of each month
- Good: Well-behaved dogs welcome in the Malthouse Kitchen
- Worth knowing: Over 100 open steps and steep stairs on the tour, with no alternative route
- Worth knowing: No under-12s on the tour; flat, closed shoes required
- Worth knowing: Tours must be booked in advance
About
Hook Norton Brewery is a family-owned brewery on Brewery Lane in Hook Norton, between Banbury and Chipping Norton. It works from a Victorian tower with a steam engine of 1899. Tours climb through it to a tasting, and the kitchen and shop on the same site are open every day.
The tours
The main brewery tour costs £25, lasts about 90 minutes and ends with a tutored tasting in the cellar bar. It takes up to 10 people, and booking ahead is essential, by the website or on 01608 730384. The tour includes the stables: the horses are usually there from Wednesday to Sunday and in the fields behind the brewery on Monday and Tuesday, unless they are away at an event. The rules are strict, because the route has over 100 open steps and several steep staircases and there is no other way round. People with mobility difficulties or who need walking sticks cannot be taken. Nor can children under 12, including babies. Guests aged 12 to 17 are welcome with an adult and get a soft drink. Wear flat, closed shoes.
The Steep Brewery Experience is the answer for anyone who cannot do the stairs. It runs at 11am on the last Wednesday of each month, with tea or coffee, a 30-minute audio-visual presentation, a meeting with a Shire horse and a tutored tasting, plus a glass to keep. Its price is not on the website, so ask when booking.
The history, and the claims
The dates are clear from the brewery's own books, and some of the claims need a closer look.
When it started
The brewery dates itself to 1849, and that is when the farmer John Harris bought a 52-acre farm with a malthouse here. He began as a maltster and hop dealer. Commercial brewing probably began later: the brewery's first recorded brew, Mild XXX, is dated 24 November 1856. After Harris died in 1887 his nephew Alban Clarke took over the day-to-day running, and a building programme doubled the brewery's size. It is still an independent family business, and Roger Protz named James Clarke as managing director in 2025.
The tower
The six-storey tower went up on the site of the old brewhouse at the end of the 1890s. Historic England lists it at Grade II and dates it to about 1898, the work of William Bradford of London, who designed many tower breweries. The brewery calls it the finest example of a Victorian tower brewery in the country. That is its own claim.
The steam engine
The 25hp engine by Buxton and Thornley of Burton upon Trent was installed in 1899, the brewery says. The brewery says it is believed to be the last in the country still used for its original purpose, and that it runs on the first Sunday of each month for about an hour from 11.30am. Protz wrote in 2025 that it no longer runs day to day and is fired up for visitors. So it is real and it works, but read 'used for its original purpose' with care.
The horses
The brewery has three Shires: Brigadier, Balmoral and Cromwell. It says it is one of only two breweries still delivering by horse-drawn dray. Horse deliveries stopped in 1950 and were revived in 1985, so this is a restored custom, and today the round is short: on Thursdays at midday, to The Pear Tree and then, after reloading at the brewery, to The Sun Inn.
The brewery also calls itself one of only 32 family-owned breweries. Its pages count 36 or 37 pubs, depending on the page.
Visiting
The Malthouse Kitchen serves breakfast until 11.30am and lunch from midday, with a children's menu, in a Visitor Centre the Princess Royal opened in 1999. Book through the website or on 01608 730384. Well-behaved dogs on short leads are welcome and stay on the floor under the table. The shop sells beer, including Hooky, Old Hooky and Hooky Gold, along with more than 150 wines, spirits and clothing. The museum is in the same area and is easy to reach, but its hours are not published. The site has a 10mph limit and marked walking routes, and it is nut-free. Evening events include tastings and talks: when we checked, the brewery listed a Tales at the Bar talk on 19 November, a free open-tap tasting on 9 December and a Christmas wine tasting on 10 December 2026.
Nearby
The Rollright Stones and Chipping Norton are a short drive south west, and Great Tew is close, with The Falkland Arms.
Opening hours and season
Closed, opens Mon 16, 08:00
| Mon | Opening | Shop | Food served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Tuesday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Wednesday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Thursday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Friday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Saturday | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 18:00 | 08:00 to 16:30 |
| Sunday | 09:00 to 16:00 | 09:00 to 16:00 | 09:00 to 15:30 |
Hours are the shop's. Tour dates are on the booking page, which needs checking live. Food until 4.30pm, Sundays 3.30pm. The site publishes no separate museum hours.
Facilities
- Brewery shopBeer, cider, over 150 wines, spirits and clothing
- Malthouse KitchenBreakfast until 11.30am, lunch from midday, children's menu
- Visitor CentreShop, kitchen and museum are easily accessible; the tour is not
- Dogs in the kitchenOn short leads, on the floor under the table
The details
- Time to allow
- Tour about 90 minutes, plus time for lunch and the shop
- Features
- Real ale · Café · Shop · Guided tours · Events and meetings
- History
- Founded 1849; tower brewery of about 1898, Grade II listed
- Without a car
- The brewery gives no bus advice. See our buses guide. Anyone driving will want to skip the tasting.
Photos
The brewery's steam engine 
The brewery yard 
A brewery room set for a function 
Pie at the Malthouse Kitchen
Location
Places to stay nearby
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The Sun Inn, Hook Norton
Pubs · Hook Norton
A Free Spirit pub with seven rooms on Hook Norton High Street, serving Hooky ales and seasonal food with meat from the village butcher, and open for weekend brunch.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The Gate Hangs High, Hook Norton
Pubs · Hook Norton
A country pub on the Whichford road outside Hook Norton, with local ales, an open fire, freshly cooked food from Wednesday to Sunday, rooms and a large camping field with electric hook-ups.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The Norman Knight, Whichford
Pubs
A pub with rooms in a restored former bakery at Whichford, serving seasonal British food and well-kept ales, with four rooms, five cabins, supper clubs, live music on Saturdays and a monthly car rally in summer.
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Malthouse Kitchen, Hook Norton 0.0 km away
- The Sun Inn, Hook Norton 0.7 km away
- The Gate Hangs High, Hook Norton 1.8 km away
- The Norman Knight, Whichford 3.6 km away
Sights nearby
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Rollright Stones
Sight · Hill fort or barrow
Three prehistoric monuments on the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire border, built over more than 2,000 years: the Whispering Knights, the King's Men circle and the King Stone, with a legend of a king and a witch to go with them. Open daily; adults £2.
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St Peter's Church, Hook Norton
Sight · Church · Hook Norton
Hook Norton's Grade I church, with a Norman font carved with Adam and Eve and signs of the zodiac, a Romanesque chancel and medieval wall paintings. In the middle of the village, open every day, says the benefice.
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Whichford Wood
Sight · Wood · Whichford
An oak and hazel wood in a steep valley south of Whichford, a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wet flushes and rare plants, with bluebells in May. The Macmillan Way and public bridleways run through it; other paths are private.