Langhorne Creek was named after Alfred Langhorne, who drove cattle overland from Sydney in 1841, and used land in the district. This was one of the first wine growing district in Australia.

The Bridge Hotel was originally built by James Baird in 1850, and was known at the time as the ‘Langhorne’s Inn’. He maintained ownership until Friend Cleggett purchased it in December 1851. As Friend’s first child Hannah Cleggett had recently married Edward Henry Powell it was convenient to have both Cleggett and Powell as licensees and managers of the Inn. They held these licenses for two years until Friend Cleggett took over in 1854. Friend remained the licensee for two years before leasing the inn to George Freeman. Since then the building has changed ownership several times with new licensees and managers. The latest of whom are Leon Fischer and Susan Day.

During the early 1850’s the main road to Mt Barker did not pass by the hotel, which was established near the River Bremer. It was originally closer to the Langhorne’s Bridge or Creek. However, Friend purchased the land where the road was meant to be and had a new section of road made ½ km up stream so that the road passed his hotel, and then up to Mt Barker. In 1863 ‘Langhorne’s Inn’ became ‘Langhorne’s Bridge Hotel’. The town’s name was dropped from the hotel name in 1889 and as with many South Australian places, the ‘s’ has also been discarded from the towns name, hence Langhorne Creek.

As the area is low lying, this has been used historically in winter when the Bremer River floods to “flood” irrigate the vines, which has aided the production of some robust red wines that feature in the winery cellar doors.

To emphasize the quality wines in the region and remembering where it all started the Langhorne Creek Wine Association has a Wine/Music Festival every October on the banks of the River Bremer in the “Potts Reserve”.