Hop Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hop Farm |
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Oast Houses at The Hop Farm
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| Location | Beltring |
The Hop Farm is a large country park located in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, England. It covers about 400 acres (which is about 1.6 square kilometers). This farm is very old, more than 450 years old! It is well-known for having the biggest collection of oast houses anywhere in the world. Oast houses are special buildings used to dry hops, which are plants used to make drinks like beer.
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The Hop Farm's History
Hops have been grown at The Hop Farm since at least the 1500s. In 1574, a man named William Lambarde bought the farm. The next year, he gave the farm to the Worshipful Company of Drapers. This company used the money from renting the farm to help pay for special homes called almshouses in Greenwich. These homes were for people who needed help.
Growing Hops for Centuries
The Drapers' Company owned the farm for over 300 years. During this time, The Hop Farm became a very important place for growing hops. It supplied a lot of hops to big brewing companies, especially one called Whitbread.
In the late 1800s, Edward White rented the farm. People called him the "father of the hop industry." He was a legend in the business! Edward White made the farm much bigger. He also helped create new types of hops, like the White Golding hop. Whitbread brewery used this hop a lot.
When Edward White retired in 1920, the farm was sold to Whitbread brewery. This was the first time the farm had new owners in over 300 years! A man named John Waghorn then managed the farm. People said he was just as legendary as Edward White.
Changes in Ownership
The Hop Farm stayed with Whitbread until 1997. It became known as The Whitbread Hop Farm. Even though it was a working farm, Whitbread started letting visitors come as early as the 1930s. In the 1990s, Whitbread wanted to stop being in the brewing business. So, they looked for new owners for the farm.
In 1997, Brent and Fiona Pollard bought The Hop Farm for £2 million. They beat other buyers, including Mohamed Al-Fayed, who wanted to keep his shire horses there. The business was having problems at the time. It was losing a lot of money.
In their first year, the Pollands made many changes. They reduced the number of staff from 50 to 14. They also faced many challenges, like a drought, floods, and a gas pipeline being installed. There was even an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. But they managed to break even, meaning they didn't lose money. In the years after, their profits grew.
The Hop Farm was sold again in 2006 to Kent Attractions Ltd. Then, in 2007, it was sold to Peter Bull. In 2012, the farm changed its management to try and get more visitors. However, in 2013, the company went out of business. Luckily, another company from within The Hop Farm group saved it.
Exciting Events at The Hop Farm
The Hop Farm has hosted many exciting events over the years.
Military Vehicle Shows
One of the biggest events was the annual War and Peace show. This show started in 1982. It grew to be the largest military vehicle show in the world! About 10,000 fans and over 3,500 military vehicles would attend. In 2012, the show moved to Folkestone Racecourse because the organizer was not happy with The Hop Farm owners. The show has not been held since then.
Other Fun Events
Besides the military show, the park has hosted other events. These include European Championship Monster Truck Racing. Monster trucks are huge trucks with giant wheels that can crush cars! The Kent County Fair also took place here. Another event was Paws in the Park, which is a show for dogs and their owners. This event later moved to the Kent Showground Detling.
Music Concerts and Festivals
The Hop Farm is also a place where outdoor music concerts are held. In 2006, a concert with the singer Craig David was supposed to start a festival in Tunbridge Wells. But it was moved to The Hop Farm because of complaints from local people. That same year, Terry Wogan's Summer Proms, a classical music event, was also held there.
From 2008 to 2012, the Hop Farm Festival took place over the first weekend of July. This festival grew very popular, with over 50,000 people attending. Many famous international artists performed there. These included Bob Dylan, Prince, The Eagles, Blondie, Neil Young, Primal Scream, The Fratellis, and Florence and the Machine. However, the festival lost money in 2012. It was cancelled in 2013 because not enough tickets were sold. Since 2015, the park has been the home of the Chilled in a Field Festival.
