Hops and Downs

Kentish hops have flavoured Britains beers for centuries. Read about Kents hop-growing traditions & its modern real ale brewers.

a taste of mid-Kent
Leader+ programme in association with Kent County Council

kents hop heritage

Kent has long been associated with the growing of hops, while oast-houses distinctive (usually) conical buildings specially designed for the drying of hops - have become emblematic of the county. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of acres of Kents countryside were devoted to growing hops in fields known as hop gardens, with up to 80,000 people involved in the annual harvest at hop-picking time in September. Today, annual festivals and museum displays recall with nostalgia the days when hopping down in Kent was a working holiday for many. Alongside its hop-growing tradition, the county also has a rich brewing heritage. Shepherd Neame, based in Faversham, is Britains oldest independent brewery and while many other breweries have disappeared over time, a good number of microbreweries have sprung-up in Kent in recent years.
the tallyman would visit gangs during the day to collect the hops and was also responsible for calculating the volume of hops picked by each gang

a potted history of hop growing

Although the countys hop acreage has now reduced to around 1000 acres, surviving hop gardens continue to form a distinctive and cherished feature of Kents landscape. The former Horticultural Research Institute at Wye (now East Malling Research) has also been at the forefront of research into hop cultivation, with the recent development and introduction of dwarf varieties changing the traditional appearance of some hop gardens. By the 17th century, hop cultivation had spread This leaflet tells the story of hop growing in Kent and explains why hops are important to the brewing of beers. A circular walk through a working hop farm in the High Weald is described, and lists of Mid Kent breweries and the pubs where their products can be enjoyed, are provided. The Latin name for the hop is Humulus lupulus or wolf of the woods. The wild plant, from which the modern hop has been developed, is as old as history itself. The plant first attracted attention, not as an ingredient in beer but as a medicinal herb in ancient Egypt. The cultivation of hops for brewing was, in fact, introduced to Kent by Flemish brewers in the 16th century. The addition of hops to traditionally brewed ales added to their flavour and improved their keeping qualities. Brewing with hops soon became common practice with ale (brewed without hops) becoming beer (brewed with hops) in the process. Tradition has it that the first English hop garden was created near Canterbury in 1520. Kent was the earliest centre for hop culture for a number of reasons: suitable soil; the enclosed field The 19th century was the golden age of the hop industry, with the national hop acreage reaching its peak of 77,000 acres (31,000 hectares) in 1878, after which there was a steady decline. The most important development at the time But the simplest and most economical method was introduced by Henry Butcher in Kent in about 1875. Horizontal wires are attached to the poles near ground level, at breast level and at the top of the poles. Coir strings, which the hop bines would spiral around, were taken from the bottom wire to the breast wire and then sloped across the alley to the top of the neighbouring row. To speed the tying of the strings to the top wires, the stringers often walked on stilts, especially in Kent.
for many families, usually from London, the annual hop picking season was considered a holiday, many families returning year after year

system was established; and there was a good supply of wood for the poles to support the hops and charcoal for drying them. Furthermore, Kent farmers could afford the high initial capital outlay as they were among the most prosperous of the time.
in order to help the war effort duty on beer was increased, and this in turn reduced the demand for hops

By the early 20th century the national hop acreage had fallen to 32,000 acres (13,000 hectares), largely due to the importing of foreign hops. This provoked mass demonstrations in Kent and the was in the system of training the hops. The 16th-century mound method consisted of placing individual poles three to a hill. The later umbrella system involved growing the hops up twine, running from the ground to high wires, in a narrow shuttle-cock or inverted umbrella-shape. By 1932, acreage had fallen to 11,000 but the introduction of the producer-controlled Hops Marketing Board brought a period of stability, with the hop acreage recovering to 20,000 by 1968. Since then the globalisation of brewing, changing drinking tastes (lager uses fewer hops) and competition from hop growers in other parts of the world, has seen the national hop acreage fall to just over 3,000 in 2003. In the same year, for the first time in living memory, Herefordshire overtook Kent as the UKs leading hop growing county. government responded by introducing a tariff on imported hops. However, demand for hops was reduced further during the First World War when the government trebled the duty on beer to restrict socialising and to concentrate peoples energy on the war effort.

rapidly and by 1655 hops were grown in 14 counties, although a third of the crop was produced in Kent. Over time, production became concentrated near to the industrial areas of London, South Wales and the West Midlands because a huge itinerant force of workers was needed to pick the crop by hand.

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Produced by the Strategic Planning Analysis Information Team (SPAIT) Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of The Controller of Her Majestys Stationery Office Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings Kent County Council Licence No. LA076708. December 15, 2004 Ref: ma737

where to find real ale in mid kent

Details of most of Kents independent breweries have been taken from the 2005 Good Beer Guide produced by CAMRA the Campaign for Real Ale. The breweries listed are either based in Mid Kent, use hops grown in the area or supply a number of Mid Kent pubs. The 25 pubs listed are also taken from the Good Beer Guide, and are selected on the basis of their beer quality. However, as the guide observes, CAMRAs belief is that if a pub landlord keeps his beers well and pours perfect pints, then everything else in the pub - welcome, food, other drinks, accommodation and family facilities - will also be of a high standard. The Good Beer Guide is available for 13.99 from bookshops or from CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 4LW Tel: 01727 867201 or visit www.camra.org.uk

11 Queens Arms Egerton Forstal TN27 9EH Tel: 01233 756386, www.quarms.co.uk Traditional country pub with two bars and a restaurant area. Annual beer festival at the beginning of July. 12 Red Lion 61 High Street, Bluetown Sheerness ME12 1RW, Tel: 01795 664354 Facing the dockyard wall in the historic Bluetown area, the interior displays a host of maritime memorabilia. 13 Red Lion Snargate TN29 9UK Tel: 01797 344648. On CAMRAs national inventory of rare and unspoilt pubs, the pub hosts several beer festivals each year, the main one in June. The walls are decorated with an unusual Land Army

18 Sun Inn 10 West Street Faversham ME13 7JE, Tel: 01795 535098 Ancient pub amid the old buildings of West Street. Full of nooks and crannies, well-preserved wood panelling and a beautiful fireplace. 19 Swan Inn 1 Swan Street Wittersham TN30 7PH, Tel: 01797 270913 17th-century drovers pub at the village centre. Stages summer and winter beer festivals and conker championships. 20 Three Horseshoes 46 Staple Street Hernhill ME13 9UA, Tel: 01227 750842 Country pub dating from 1690, in a small hamlet among fruit orchards and hop gardens. 21 Three Tuns 16 Tanners Street, Faversham ME13 7JP, Tel: 01795 532663. Another of the three original Shepherd Neame pubs, it is suggested that it is where Horatio Nelson, then a mere captain, paid off his Faversham crew members. 22 Windmill Inn Canterbury Road, Preston

hopping down in kent

Extra help was always required when the time came to pick the hops in September as the value of the crop depended on being picked quickly and at the right moment. Kentish records of the mid 17th-century mention some strangers who came a hopping, the main help in Kent coming from the poor and unemployed of London. By the turn of the 19th century, special train services brought whole families down from London and there are many records of families visiting the same gardens for several generations. On arrival, a family would be allocated a hut and up to ten people would live in the cramped conditions, sleeping on straw and makeshift beds. The earliest forms of hopping accommodation amounted to little more than animal stalls, but with the help of charitable and religious missions conditions improved in the late 1800s. Despite the primitive conditions and hard work, the annual trip to the countryside to pick hops was considered a holiday from the squalor of Victorian and early 20th-century London. Although this tradition came to an end on most farms in the mid-20th century with the advent of hop picking machinery, the intermingling of town and country people had a unique and very enjoyable quality that is fondly remembered by those who were involved. Two local attractions have dedicated displays explaining the history and traditions of hop growing in Mid Kent: Faversham also hosts a lively, annual International Hop Festival at the start of September (3-4 in 2005), a bold, noisy and fun celebration of the olden days of hop picking. For information visit www.swale.gov.uk/hopfestival, or call 01795 585601/585616.
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The Museum of Kent Life

at Maidstone is home to an 18th-century working oast house and a row of hoppers huts dating from the 19th century. It also has a small hop garden, the hops from which are harvested by hand and dried in the oast in the traditional way at the annual Hop Picking Festival which takes place on the first weekend in September. The annual CAMRA Maidstone Beer Festival takes place on the Saturday of the festival only. The Museum is open to visitors and groups every day from mid-February to the end of October. For admission prices, special events and opening times please telephone 01622 763936 or visit www.museum-kentlife.co.uk The Hop Farm Country Park

hop along to the pub

1 Anchor 52 Abbey Street Faversham ME13 7BP, Tel: 01795 536471 One of three original Shepherd Neame pubs, it dates from the 17th-century. 2 Bear Inn 3 Market Place, Faversham ME13 7AG, Tel: 01795 532668 Classic, timeless market town pub retaining its early 19th-century atmosphere. 3 Bell Inn Ashford Road, Ivychurch TN29 0AL, Tel: 01797 344355 Church house pub with smuggling connections, now frequented by walkers and cyclists. 4 Black Lion Lynsted near Faversham ME9 0RJ, Tel: 01795 521229 Village pub with a large, pleasant garden, next door to the church. 5 Bowl Inn Egg Hill Road Charing TN27 0HG, Tel: 01233 712256 www.bowl-inn.co.uk Warm, welcoming pub in a remote location on the top of the Kent Downs. It hosts a beer festival every July. 10 Prince of Wales Fairfield Road, New Romney TN25 8HW Tel: 01797 362012. Friendly, two-bar local, in the same hands since 1986, and retaining many original features. 9 Old Oak 68 East Street, Sittingbourne ME10 4RT Tel: 01795 472685. This mid-19th century pub is a welcome oasis for real ale lovers. 8 Mechanics 44 West Street Faversham ME13 7JG, Tel: 01795 532693 Basic L-shaped local in the town centre, with petanque pitch in the garden. 7 Crown & Anchor 41 The Mall Faversham ME13 8JN Tel: 01795 532812 Close to Faversham station, the pub has no TV or piped music. 6 Chequers Inn The Street, Doddington ME9 0BG Tel: 01795 886366. Beautiful old pub in centre of Kent Downs village; popular with walkers and cyclists.

WWII poster collection. 14 Rose & Crown Perry Wood ME13 9RY Tel: 01227 752214. Historic free house located in the midst of Perry Wood, with an extensive award-winning garden. 15 Shipwrights Arms Hollowshore off Shore Road, Faversham, Tel: 01795 590088 Beautiful, and romantic pub at the junction of Faversham and Oare Creeks. Its rustic interior bears many nautical effects.

Faversham ME13 8LT, Tel: 01795 536505 The glass door of the right-hand bar has an etched depiction of a windmill and photographs of bygone Faversham adorn the walls. 23 White Hart Rye Road

at Beltring, Paddock Wood, is home to the Hop Story Museum, which brings the story of the hop picking industry to life. The Country Parks Hop Festival will take place between 5-9 September 2005. The Hop Farm is open every day (except 24-26 December) from 10am to 5pm. For admission prices and details of events call 01622 872068, or visit www.thehopfarm.co.uk

16 Sondes Arms Neames Forstal Selling ME13 9QG, Tel: 01227 752246 Village pub, well away from main roads, but close to Selling station. The large garden houses a bat and trap pitch. 17 Sugar Loaves 56 Eyhorne Street Hollingbourne ME17 1TS. Tel: 01622 880220 www.sugarloaves.co.uk Traditional pub historically called the Railway and Three Sugar Loaves.

Newenden TN18 5PN, Tel: 01797 252166. Nearly 500 years as an inn, a short stroll from the Kent and East Sussex Railway station at Northiam. 24 Woolpack Beacon Lane Brookland TN29 9TJ. Tel: 01797 344321. At least five centuries old, this inn has seen much change in the outside world but little inside. A typical Kent timber-framed hall house with low ceilings. 25 Worlds Wonder Warehorne TN26 2LU Tel: 01233 732431. Two-bar pub with an impressive collection of bottled beers.

Hops and Downs

Kentish hops have flavoured Britains beers for centuries. Read about Kents hop-growing traditions & its modern real ale brewers.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the content of this leaflet is accurate and up-to-date at the time of printing, no liability can be accepted for any errors, omissions or misrepresentations of fact contained herein.

This is one of a series of themed trails being produced with the support of Mid Kent LEADER+ to promote the distinctive landscapes and produce of Mid Kents rural areas. If it has whetted your appetite to visit Mid Kent, information on where to stay and what to see is available at www.kenttourism.co.uk This project is being part financed by the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund of the European Union and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the Mid Kent LEADER+ Programme. Researched, written and produced by Dave Hughes of Tourism Plus, with help from CAMRA, Kerstin Beeching, Nigel Chew and staff of the Museum of Kent Life, and Christopher Nicholas. Inspired and supported by Tourism South East. Designed by Chameleon Design, Swingfield, Kent, Tel: 01303 844444 Photographs supplied by the KTA, Museum of Kent Life, Shepherd Neame