OUR STORY
Our journey began on a 100 litre pilot kit in the corner of an old farm building set in the Dorset countryside in 2018, with the initial desire to create traditional style cask ales for the local area. After perfecting our recipe and using our endless supply of new friends as guinea pigs, we decided it was time to take the plunge and purchase our first commercial set up.
We decided to redevelop the old barn which is located in the grounds of Remedy Oak golf club and the Remedy Oak Brewing Company was born.
Our focus is to create a selection of both traditional real ales and exciting hop forward craft beers using the freshest ingredients and hops from around the world, perfect for hopheads and discovery drinkers alike.
THE REMEDY OAK TREE
No county in England seems to be without an oak tree with a strong affiliation with a king or queen and Dorset is no exception. The Remedy Oak (Quercus robur) in the parish of Wimborne St Giles has at its base a plaque that states that, in the sixteenth century, 'According to the tradition, King Edward VI sat beneath this tree and touched for the King's Evil'.
'Touching for the King's Evil' was once a common practice of magic medicine. the King's Evil was scrofula, or scurvy, which was supposedly cured if the victim was touched by the reigning monarch. the king lightly touched the sufferer on the face while a chaplain read a verse from St. Mark: 'They shall lay hans on the sick and they recover.'
Unfortunately there is no historical evidence that Edward VI touched for the King's Evil beneath the Remedy Oak and the first trace of this tale appears on the plaque itself, which was installed in the 1970s. Nonetheless, records confirm that Edward VI stayed overnight nearby at Woodlands manor in August 1552, while his companions stayed at Canford Manor. The King spent most of his time hunting locally, as royal demonstrations were prohibited further south due to the prevalence of the plague in the area.
The name 'Remedy' may actually be explained by the gate that once crossed the road near the oak and adjacent cottages. the gate, no longer there, was known as the 'Remedy gate' and pre-dates both King Edward VI and the oak tree. It is thought that the gate was linked with the deer parks within the area provided by John Day (2008), is that the gate would have been situated at an important four or five road converging point, which can be seen on the 1890 Ordance Survey map. Perhaps on a day of hunting, King Edward VI simply met with his fellow companions at this local landmark and as time has gone by, the name Remedy and the royal connection have become inextricably linked with this impressive tree.