Once Brewed / Twice Brewed

In 1751, the English army began work constructing a road across the north of England, from Carlisle in the west to Newcastle in the east. The ‘military’ road was to follow the line of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman-built divide between England and Scotland, making use of the stone from the redundant wall in its foundations. Manual labourers, brought in to help with construction, were housed at an inn midway between the two cities. Tired and thirsty from their long journey, the workers turned for refreshment to the inn’s local ale. Story tells that, finding the ale rather weak, they requested that the landlord brew the ale again, and, from that day forth, their place of rest became known as Twice Brewed Inn.

Twice Brewed Inn, Northumberland

Skip ahead a few years and, in 1934, England’s first Youth Hostel was built on Military Road, barely a stone’s throw east of Twice Brewed Inn. Officially opened by Lady Trevelyan, a staunch teetotaller, in referring to Twice Brewed Inn, she declared, “Of course, there will be no alcohol served on these premises, so I hope the tea and coffee will only be brewed once”. And so, from that day forth, it became known as the Once Brewed Youth Hostel.

The Youth Hostel, together with Twice Brewed Inn and the surrounding farms, now make up the village of Once Brewed – known by some as Twice Brewed and known by others as Once Brewed / Twice Brewed – in what is now the Northumberland National Park.