Pubs and Breweries in Little Eaton

Beer has been produced in Little Eaton for centuries. This section explains the history of brewing, the women (Brewsters) who ran the beer houses, and the process of brewing beer.

The King’s Head dominated The Town from the 1600s. It was a coaching inn, stabled the gangway horses, and later became a general store until it was demolished, despite local protests, in 1971 .

Another pub built for Quarry men (or delvers), the Anchor Inn became a collection point for Royal Mail coaches in the 1800s. In the 1950s it was sold and became a private house.

The Delvers Inn, built in the 1700s for quarry men (delvers) was renamed the Queen’s Head when Victoria was crowned in the mid 1830s. Now a listed building, the pub retains many of its original features.

The Bell and Harp, also known as the Bell Harp, was an ancient Ale House on the Packhorse trail. Built for travellers, not locals, it has now become a firm favourite for villagers and visitors alike.

The New Inn was built in 1795 for the workers of the newly built canal. New Inn Lane became the centre of Little Eaton’s famous Tittlecock Fair, and New Inn Yard became home to travellers and fortune tellers.

A maltings was originally built at Elms Farm in the early 18th Century, followed by the brewery in 1780. The company was named Little Eaton Brewery in 1897 and operated until just before WW2 when it closed.

The Shiny Brewery moved to the old mill business park in Little Eaton in 2012, and has steadily expanded since then. The retail outlet The Shiny Tap has become Little Eaton’s latest pub , and Beer Metropolis is the wholesale and online business.

Black Hole Brewery brewed beer for Mr Grundy’s public house in Derby before moving to the Old Mill Business Park. It remains a cask only production company, with its beers winning awards at the CAMRA Beer Festivals.