Spen Valley Magazine Spen Valley Magazine (draft) | Page 12

Several local maltings prepared barley for brewing.
One on Westgate, Cleckheaton, gave its name to
the Malt Shovel. Heckmondwike’s Springwell
Brewery, established in 1867 in Church Street,
soon had 46 pubs of its own. Fentimans botanical
brewery (which made soft drinks) had its origins in
Cleckheaton in 1905. Spen Valley Brewery was
founded in 1816 but only had three pubs including
Gomersal’s Wheatsheaf.
By the 1860s, brewers were buying up pubs and
building more of their own. Licensing laws during
the First World War restricted drinking hours, and
the 1920s were difficult times for smaller breweries.
Springwell sold out to Hammonds in 1929, and
closed. By the 1960s regional brewers like Whitaker,
Ramsden and Bentley had fallen victim to larger
competitors which flooded thetrade with keg beer
and lager.
Horse & Jockey
Although many pubs have closed several new ones
have opened, majoring on eating out. Some
working men’s clubs have also become pubs such
as the Hartshead and Six Lanes End at Stubley.
Spen Valley (at the time of publication) has a new
brewer – Mill Valley – which began in South Parade
but is now located in the former Heights WMC
in Hightown.
Cheers.
Shears Inn
From the start (1773) the Shears was named after the
shears used by croppers (also called shearmen)