The Hop Farm Country Park

As well as being considered the 'Garden of England', the Kentish landscape is especially renowned for its oast houses. The wonderful Victorian Oasts at The Hop Farm Country Park are probably the most famous and impressive worldwide, comprising of some 32 white coned Oast Houses and galleried barns. The cultivation of hops for beer brewing is believed to have begun in Kent in the late 16th century. William Lambarde, an Apothecary to Elizabeth I, owned the Beltring site at that time and is believed to have grown hops, in common with other sites in the vicinity.

In the 19th century the site was rented by a wealthy farmer, Mr E White, who was responsible for the buildings that we see today. During this period there were believed to be some 70,000 acres of hops under cultivation each season, the bulk of the crop being grown in Kent. Although the heyday of hop production in England is long since past, the criss-cross of wires and strings suspended from 10ft (3m) poles, on which the hop bines climb, is still a familiar sight in the west of Kent today.

Oast Houses were specifically designed for the drying of hops, and many smaller buildings can be seen all around the county. Despite the varying sizes of some buildings, the design and principle remain the same. Each Oast House traditionally comprises of two main areas: the circular kiln with a conical roof; and the rectangular cooling room. The hops, originally picked by hand and collected in a Bushel basket (holding about 8 gallons), were collected by the bin men and transferred to hop bins. At intervals throughout the day, the bins would be emptied into hop sacks under the supervision of the Talleyman, and finally taken by cart to the Oasts for drying. They would be hoisted to the first floor and spread out on the floor above the kiln, in the circular part of the house, until they had dried sufficiently. Once dried, they would be laid out in the adjacent cooling room until they were ready for packaging, when they would be pressed into large sacks, called pockets.

The hop picking season starts in September and, until quite recently, many poorer families used to leave the East End of London and spend 4/5 weeks 'in the fields'. This provided them with the much-needed opportunity to earn some cash, as well as giving them the benefit of a 'holiday' in the country. It was mainly the women and children in the family who did most of the hop picking, being joined by their menfolk at weekends. Since the late 1950s, however, mechanical picking was introduced, thus marking the end of those traditional family migrations to the country each year.

The Hop Farm Country Park now stands as a living museum to this once proud occupation, and attracts many thousands of visitors all year round. Utilising 4 of the great kilns for a permanent exhibition of 'The Hop Story', this gives a wonderful insight into those bygone days with a complete audio-visual display. Another favourite is the Shire horse centre, where an assortment of brasses and other equestrian paraphernalia are displayed to commemorate the magnificent beasts who used to work for the breweries. Their task was to pull the Drays, laden with heavy beer barrels, that delivered to many inns and taverns around London. I am sure they are now enjoying their well-earned retirement in the lush Kent countryside, only having to perform 'light duties' when members of the public go for a short tour of the site by horse-drawn carriage. In all, this is a fascinating and varied site and makes for a great family day out.