[2] In November 1780 William Hardy (1732–1811) purchased Letheringsett Hall, 50 acres of farmland and the late Henry Hagon's maltings, brewery and some of his tied houses for £1610 at auction at Holt.

William Hardy made the bold decision in 1784 to convert his maltings and brewery to water power, all the stages of the work being recorded in his wife's diary.

[3][note 1] The cascade north of the bridge, immediately upstream of the tailrace exit, reflects the drop to the waterwheel newly installed in the adjacent tunnel.

[3] Although he was maximising his investment he ran into competition with the miller at the centuries-old Letheringsett Watermill only 137 metres (150 yd) upstream, provoking a legal battle over water rights in 1786.

[6] The wheel had last been used for malting and beer-brewing in 1895 or 1896, prior to the sale of the business to Morgans Brewery Co. Ltd of Norwich on 12 March 1896; their interest lay only in the tied houses.

[4][6] The Cozens-Hardys bought the site back in 1943, when it had recently been reduced on the northern side as part of road-widening to ease the dangerous bend by the brewery.

From 1992 various development plans were projected by successive owners, culminating in the restoration of the deteriorating buildings and the conversion to domestic housing of all the parts of the maltings and brewery, except the kilns, by D. and M. Hickling Properties Ltd from 2013 to 2015.