HOOK Norton Brewery was the subject of a talk by Howard Hicks.

The brewery tour guide revealed his passion for the company's heritage and its award-winning ales.

The speaker described how John Henry Harris bought a thatched cottage and malting just over the county boundary in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, in 1849 and began brewing.

John Harris & Co thrived and in 1900 the cottage was demolished to build a new brewery, a fine example of a Victorian tower brewery.

A steam engine was installed 103 years ago to drive the pumps. Today, Hook Norton Brewery remains the only brewery driven by steam.

Tradition is at the heart of this independent family-run business, the Clarke family being descendants of the founder. A shire horse-drawn dray still delivers to local villages.

At the interval, samples of the beers were poured for the audience. Some may say the second half of the talk was received in a particularly relaxed manner.

Ably assisted by his wife Barbara, Mr Hicks explained how the Best Bitter has won medals at the Brewing Industry International Awards, achieving gold in 1998.

The next talk, a unique topic for a local history society, entitled Madness in Warwickshire, will be presented by Dr John Bland, who has practised at the former County Asylum in Hatton, near Warwick. The talk promises to be a rare insight into the local history of mental health care.

The society's AGM will precede the talk so the evening will start earlier than usual at 7.45pm on Wednesday, February 9, at the Greig Centre. Members and non-members are welcome.