So what was the name of that Worcester brewery?

This seemingly unassuming topic has proven to be of great interest and around 4,000 people have taken part!

One of the questions did cause a few to scratch their heads however, relating to the former brewery that once stood on the site of a petrol station in Barbourne (itself now a derelict site).

The petrol station in Barbourne, shown here in 1978, that for a few years stood on the site of Spreckley’s

The brewery in question was that of Spreckley’s – a once familiar site heading north from the city. Many local people will have stopped to ‘refuel’ at a Spreckley’s pub, in fact, with 67 tied houses serving its ales by the time it ceased brewing.

Originally known as the Worcester Brewery belonging to Stallard’s, the site was acquired by brothers Herbert William and Arthur George Spreckley in 1884.

The family continued to brew their ales until the site was bought out by Cheltenham and Hereford Breweries Ltd in 1958, and the company was liquidated two years later.

While much of the site was demolished, with part of the site now occupied by Kwik Fit, and the distinctive Security House towards its northern end, there are one or two reminders of Barbourne’s brewing past. 

Barbourne Brewery in 1987 seen from the Northcote Street frontage

Running parallel to the main road at the rear of the site is Brewery Walk, where today the old Malthouse still stands, now converted into apartments. On the main road, a distinctive semi-circular building remains.

Believed to have once housed a horse-driven water pump, the building probably pre-dated the main brewery, and is thought to date from around 1830.

A 1970s view along New Bank Street showing The Barbourne Inn on the left and next door, Barbourne Brewery

Spreckley’s wasn’t the only brewery in Barbourne of course; as many local people will remember, Barbourne Brewery which stood between Northcote Street and New Bank Street was still a feature of the streetscape until the late 1980s.

Built in around 1870 for Robert Allen, it was taken over briefly in the 1930s by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, before Thomas & Evans mineral water manufacturers acquired the site in 1936. This company traded under its own name for a while, before becoming a bottling plant for Corona.

Do you remember any of these sites? Perhaps you worked for one of the companies? Or drank in one of their pubs? We’d love to hear your stories!

Worcester Life Stories is a collaborative project bringing local people together through shared stories of the City of Worcester.

It is co-led by Dr Natasha Lord, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Sheena Payne-Lunn, Worcester City Council and funded thanks to National Lottery players. For further information or to share your stories, visit worcesterlifestories.org.uk, our Facebook page or Twitter @worlifestories.

You can also email worcesterlifestories@gmail.com or call 01905 721133.

And why not visit the We grew up in Worcester page on Facebook?