The Wychwood Brewery is tucked away behind the main street of the market town of Witney, in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Witney is historically famous for its 3 Bs; its bread, its blankets and its beer. Brewing has taken place in Witney for centuries.
The first sizeable brewery in Witney was founded by John Williams Clinch, the son of a banking family, who established the brewery, close to the present site of Wychwood Brewery, in 1841. Clinch’s Brewery remained a local landmark and successful family enterprise in Witney for over 120 years. At one time Clinch’s also owned seventy-one pubs, including 14 individual pubs in Witney town itself. The Clinch’s Brewery won numerous awards in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1961, the board decided to sell out to Courage. The Clinch’s Brewery was closed shortly afterwards, marking the end of an era.
In 1983, the original Clinch’s Brewery site was purchased by Paddy Glenny, an English brewer who had trained in Germany. Paddy christened it The Eagle Brewery – later changing this to Glenny Brewery. The Eagle Brewery was started in the cellar of the existing “Eagle Maltings” building which now houses the Wychwood Brewery offices. Chris Moss joined Paddy in 1985, thus doubling the workforce. A small, entrepreneurial concern, Eagle Brewery started off brewing about 800 barrels a year. In 1990, the Eagle was re-named the Wychwood Brewery after the Ancient medieval Wychwood Forest which borders Witney. Paddy Glenny sold his shareholding in 1990 to Ian Rogers, a Regional Manager of Halls of Oxford, the brewery’s biggest customer. Aged only 27, Ian sold his house to become a partner with Chris and set about creating a chain of 40 real ale pubs intrinsically tied to the newly renamed Wychwood Brewery with all its myths and legends imagery.
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Brewers of Character Wychwood
