Hook Norton Brewery
Hook Norton Brewery, in a quiet little Oxfordshire village, still produces formidable traditional cask conditioned 'Real' Ales in a Tower brewery dating from 1900. More to the point it still does it with a steam engine as it's only power source - yes this is the last stationary steam engine working commercially in the UK other than in the 'leisure industry'.
The 'liquor' used for brewing Hook Norton beers (brewers do NOT use the word water !) is pumped up from a deep well by these two vertical three cylinder water pumps, the hot Wort is also pumped from the coppers to the fermenting tanks by the same pumps, which are driven by lineshafting, which also drives hoists, malt mills and the mash tun sparge arms.
The lineshafting is powered by a 25 HP single cylinder horizontal engine built by Buxton and Thornley in 1900, with drop valve inlet and Corliss exhaust valves this engine, which has seen better days and bears the scars to prove it, runs in a small dark area of the engine room.
Working under load it is a treat to listen to and during the visit when these photos were taken it needed some re packing as steam was escaping from almost everywhere.
This is the only place in the UK where you will see anything like this earning its keep on a daily basis, while it is now called a 'Heritage Brewery' this engine is very much a workhorse, highly regarded by its owners it is not cosseted like a museum piece.