Jennings Brothers
Jennings Brewery was founded in the village of Lorton (situated between Keswick and Cockermouth) in 1828 by John Jennings (1783 – 1876), son of William Jennings (1751 – 1848) who was a Malster by trade.
John's son, John Jennings Junior (1813 – 1889) was certainly involved in his father's business, but by 1851 John Junior's business was described in the census as thread manufacturer.
The business had outgrown its home-brewed origins in Lorton and there was a need for a larger maltings and a building to house larger fermenting vessels. The nearest market town, Cockermouth, was the ideal base for expansion as it had a larger population with more opportunities to sell beer, and just as importantly the Castle Brewery site had an abundant supply of pure well water which has been used by the Castle as long ago as Norman times.
In 1887 the brothers converted the concern into a limited company. At that time the business consisted of 3 maltings and 16 licensed outlets.
Many acquisitions of small breweries and public houses were made over the ensuing years. Four West Cumberland breweries were acquired in 1921 and Faulders Brewery of Keswick in 1926 Including a number of public houses.
There no longer exists any Jennings connection with the business. As the only independent brewer in Cumbria, 2005 saw the acquisition of Jennings Brewery by Marston's PLC — a move which saw great benefits for the Cockermouth site. Plans were very quickly put in place to further invest in the brewery, which was very much linked to the potential volume growth of the beers.
Today, pure Lakeland water is still used for brewing, drawn from the brewery's own well, and only the finest ingredients are added, including malt made from Maris Otter barley grown in Norfolk, Golding hops from Kent and Fuggles hops from Herefordshire.
The real art is in the brewing itself, where the Head Brewer and his team use their years of experience and traditional brewing methods to create a range of superb Lakeland Ales.
VISITROS INFORMATION:
EVENTS:
Jennings Family Fun Day
Date: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Jennings Brewery
Address:
Jennings Brewery
Castle Brewery,
Cockermouth,
Cumbria,
CA13 9NE