Whittle Springs, The History by J. Jackson

WHITTLE SPRINGS

The story of Whittle Springs, for it was at Whittle that the spring was discovered, has its own fascination and begins in the year 1836

The Discovery
of the Spring

The Cure

The Growth
of the Spa

The Rise of
The Brewery

The Decline
of the Spa

Continued success of
Whittle Springs Brewery

The Decline of
the Brewery

Whittle Springs
today

The Future

Whittle Springs Today

Anyone visiting the area today will find that the "Howard Arms" as it is now known, appears to be all that has survived the rise and fall of Whittle Springs. The Hotel now owned by the Burtonwood Group, has been considerably altered and extended and is know aptly described as "a popular social and conference centre,". The little Round House stands forlornly in the middle of the encroaching undergrowth, roofless and derelict. The lion rather the worse for wear but retaining his benign expression, peers from a tangle of blackberries. Only a staircase leading to a mass of broken masonry shows the site of the "Wap" and the Tower has completely vanished.

Just the other side of Moss Lane Bridge, the beautiful stable and yard lies empty, the stall once filled with great shire horses, the pride of the brewery, are silent. The original Malt Houses nearby, collapsed a few years ago and a tangled, distorted heap of slates, bricks and corrugated iron is all that is left of them.

Yet all is not lost, the site of the Brewery is now, an attractive (some people say otherwise) housing development called Spring Mews. In the courtyard, stands the original brewery well. Look down and there still bubbling away to this day the ultimate survivor, the spring water itself, as pure as it was in 1846. With the present vogue for bottled spring water I am surprised that nobody, as yet has hit on the idea of re-introducing Whittle Springs Water back onto the market.