The village of Kilburn, nestling on the edge of the Hambleton Hills in North Yorkshire, dates to before the Battle of Hastings after which William the Conqueror bequeathed the village to Hugh Fitzbaldrick, Sheriff of York. In those dim and distant days this picturesque village was known as Chilburne, meaning ‘cool stream’, and it was by this name that the settlement was entered into the Domesday Book.

"M. In CHILEBURNE, Arnketil had 6 carucates of land to the geld. [There is] land for the 3 ploughs. Now Hugh has there 1 villain and 2 ploughs. [It is] 1 league and a half broad. TRE worth 10s; now 6s."

Kilburn is now the home of the famous White Horse, the landmark seen on the southern edge of the North York Moors from most of the Vale of York. The horse was carved out of the hillside behind Acre House Farm in 1857, under the direction of the local schoolmaster, John Hodgson, a distant relative of the present managing director. Kilburn is also well known for the internationally renowned furniture maker Robert ‘Mousey’ Thompson (1876-1955), whose trademark is a mouse carved into his work. Even more recently, the village of Kilburn and surrounding area has been made more famous by the veterinary surgeon and author, James Herriott, in whose practice Acre House Farm was included and he made frequent visits as part of his rounds when it was a fully fledged dairy farm. In fact the farm was so well known to him that a photograph of the farm is included in his book, ‘James Heriott’s Yorkshire’.

Situated at the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, the springs at Acre House Farm have been the source of fresh water for the village of Kilburn and the neighbouring farmlands since time immemorial. It was the inherent quality of the water from these springs, added to the inspiration born of a summer holiday, which led Paul Hodgson to start bottling the spring water from his farm in 1997.

Since that time Chilburne Spring, whilst growing in popularity, has undergone several upgrades and refurbishments, and gained a sister company, Lincoln Vending Ltd, who supply to Lincolnshire and its surrounding areas. Gradually Chilburne Spring has expanded its bottling plant and its retail delivery area to encompass virtually the whole of the North East of England and the northern Midlands. Now, with the use of a 26 tonne lorry, Chilburne Spring Ltd can supply wholesale customers throughout the United Kingdom.

Chilburne Spring ascribes its success to a number of attributes, the most important of which is the uniqueness of the spring water itself. The limestone geology, surrounding the Kilburn area, acts as a natural filter that both purifies the water and gives Chilburne Spring its unique taste. The water is high in natural minerals, having permeated through the rock formations peculiar to the locality and is possibly the most pure in Europe (it is especially low in both nitrates and sodium). As such is destined to become a favourite on the table of the discerning drinkers in the ecological awareness of this new millennium yet that awareness extends to such issues as our stringent recycling policy adopted by the company as a whole. Another great attribute is the standard of traditional style service given to all our customers, yet still being able to advance along with the new technology that encompasses everything from improving quality in bottling to ecommerce.