Hopper hut
Encyclopedia
A hopper hut was a form of temporary accommodation provided for hop-pickers
on English farms in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Before the days of mechanised farming, hop picking was a labour-intensive process, requiring a vastly greater number of people than were available locally. Whole families, (including children who could have been at school) from London
, particularly in the south-east and east of London, would leave their homes and spend their time working in the Wealden hop-fields of Kent
, Sussex
, Surrey
and Hampshire
. In the latter county, some workers came from the Portsmouth
, Southampton
and Salisbury
areas. Hopper Huts were also provided in Herefordshire
and Worcestershire
. Workers in the latter two counties would come from the Black Country
or South Wales
. The miners from South Wales remained at home and carried on working at their pits. An estimated 250,000 people from London were travelling to Kent by the early twentieth century. Accommodation in the early Victorian period would be in barns, stables, cattle sheds, pigsties, tents or the roof space of buildings. This led to problems with hygiene
and therefore health. An outbreak of cholera
killed 43 hop-pickers at East Farleigh
in September 1849.
In 1865, the Rev J Y Stratton began a campaign to improve the conditions of the hop-pickers. Also during the 1860s, the Rev J J Kendon, visiting Goudhurst
, was appalled at the plight of the hop-pickers and began campaigning for improvements. This led to the formation of the Society for Employment and Improved Lodgings for Hop Pickers in 1866. By the 1870s, the South Eastern Railway
and the London Chatham and Dover Railway were running Hop Pickers' Specials to transport Londoners to the towns and villages at the start of the season. Similar trains were run to serve the pickers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The first bye-laws covering hop-pickers' accommodation were adopted at Bromley
in Kent under the Sanitary Acts Amendment Act, 1874. Kendon made his headquarters at Curtisden Green
and by 1889 had a team of over a dozen missionaries.
In 1898, Father Richard Wilson, a priest from Stepney
, London, became curious as to what his parishioners did when they disappeared so he persuaded one family to take him with them. He too was appalled by the conditions the pickers had to live in, but would go with them each year, gradually gaining their trust. From 1897 he rented a cottage at Five Oak Green
for 2s.6d a week, furnishing it with cots and providing a nurse, thus the Little Hoppers Hospital was born. It was very busy that year, as there was an outbreak of smallpox
. A few years later he was able to rent a larger cottage. By 1906 most of the districts of Kent had adopted similar laws and many farms had Hopper Huts by 1914. In 1910, Father Wilson bought the Rose and Crown public house
in Five Oak Green and turned the building into the Hoppers' Hospital. The building bore the legend E and H Kelsey's Fine Ales, Stout and Porter Sold Here over three lines. Father Wilson simply added the word NOT before the last two words. The Hoppers Hospital was in operation for over 60 years. The Salvation Army
also used to visit the hop pickers in the fields and attend to their welfare. There was also a Hoppers Hospital at Marden
, which was not connected with the one at Five Oak Green.
The standard size of a Hopper Hut was either 9 feet (2.74 m) by 9 feet (2.74 m) or 8 feet (2.44 m) by 10 feet (3.05 m), though some were as large as 14 feet (4.27 m) by 14 feet (4.27 m). Early huts were of timber, and during the latter half of the 19th century corrugated iron sheets were used to clad them. Following the abolition of the brick tax
in 1850, brick huts were built. Exterior walls were 9 inches (228.6 mm) thick and partitions between individual huts 4½" (115mm) thick. During the 1930s and 1940s, some Hopper Huts were built of 18 inches (457.2 mm) by 9 inches (228.6 mm) breeze blocks, these being cheap and plentiful after the end of the war. A few huts were made from pre-cast concrete at this time. Nissen Huts
were also used as accommodation for hop-pickers.
The huts generally had an earth floor, and were lit by either candles or paraffin lamps. Water would be via a standpipe which had to be within 150 yards (137.2 m) and sanitation
provided by a dedicated toilet block, usually with an earth closet
. There would generally be a dedicated cookhouse which the hop-pickers would use to prepare their meals. It was generally discouraged by the farmers for the pickers to have fires in their huts. A few brick built huts were provided with custom built fireplaces and chimneys. The interior of the huts was generally limewashed or distempered
.
The furniture within the huts was provided by the pickers. Only very basic bedding was provided - hay and ferns, faggots and straw
, then faggots and a palliasse. Some pickers built themselves basic beds of scrap timber with a palliasse. In the late 1940s and 1950s ex-army steel frame beds were used.
tried his hand at hop-picking at Blest's Farm, somewhere near West Malling
, in September 1931, travelling down from London disguised as a tramp
. He spent his time living in a Hopper Hut made of tin (corrugated iron), thus discovering that fruit and hop picking was not quite the idyllic life described by many scholars and writers of the time. Orwell earned 9/- in a week, and observed that a family of gypsies who had picked every year since birth earned 14/- each. His account was published in A Clergyman's Daughter
in 1935.
By the late 1950s, hop-picking was becoming an increasingly mechanised process. This, plus the improvements in sanitation at home, led to a decline in the need for Hopper Huts. The vast majority of huts today are no more. A few survive derelict or converted to residential or other use. Hopper Huts can still be seen today at Grange Farm, Tonbridge
and Downs Farm, Yalding
. A set of Hopper Huts from North Frith Farm, Hadlow
, has been re-erected at the Museum of Kent Life
, Sandling
.These were a row of six huts built of brick under a peg tiled roof, with integral fireplaces.
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
on English farms in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Background
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, particularly in the south-east and east of London, would leave their homes and spend their time working in the Wealden hop-fields of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. In the latter county, some workers came from the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
areas. Hopper Huts were also provided in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. Workers in the latter two counties would come from the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
or South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The miners from South Wales remained at home and carried on working at their pits. An estimated 250,000 people from London were travelling to Kent by the early twentieth century. Accommodation in the early Victorian period would be in barns, stables, cattle sheds, pigsties, tents or the roof space of buildings. This led to problems with hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
and therefore health. An outbreak of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
killed 43 hop-pickers at East Farleigh
East Farleigh
East Farleigh is a village and civil parish in the local government district of Maidstone, Kent, England. The village is located on the south side of the River Medway about two miles upstream of the town of Maidstone...
in September 1849.
In 1865, the Rev J Y Stratton began a campaign to improve the conditions of the hop-pickers. Also during the 1860s, the Rev J J Kendon, visiting Goudhurst
Goudhurst
Goudhurst is a village in Kent on the Weald, about south of Maidstone.It stands on a crossroads , where there is a large village pond. It is also in the Cranbrook School catchment area....
, was appalled at the plight of the hop-pickers and began campaigning for improvements. This led to the formation of the Society for Employment and Improved Lodgings for Hop Pickers in 1866. By the 1870s, the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
and the London Chatham and Dover Railway were running Hop Pickers' Specials to transport Londoners to the towns and villages at the start of the season. Similar trains were run to serve the pickers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The first bye-laws covering hop-pickers' accommodation were adopted at Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
in Kent under the Sanitary Acts Amendment Act, 1874. Kendon made his headquarters at Curtisden Green
Curtisden Green
Curtisden Green is a hamlet, lying 3 miles to the north of Goudhurst, Kent, England. It is the location of Bethany School.-External links:...
and by 1889 had a team of over a dozen missionaries.
In 1898, Father Richard Wilson, a priest from Stepney
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, London, became curious as to what his parishioners did when they disappeared so he persuaded one family to take him with them. He too was appalled by the conditions the pickers had to live in, but would go with them each year, gradually gaining their trust. From 1897 he rented a cottage at Five Oak Green
Five Oak Green
Five Oak Green is a village near Tonbridge, Kent in the parish of Capel. It was a centre for hop growing and in the 19th century" The Rose and crown" public house was converted to a hospital to treat the many hop pickers who resided in the village and its surroundings in the late summer...
for 2s.6d a week, furnishing it with cots and providing a nurse, thus the Little Hoppers Hospital was born. It was very busy that year, as there was an outbreak of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. A few years later he was able to rent a larger cottage. By 1906 most of the districts of Kent had adopted similar laws and many farms had Hopper Huts by 1914. In 1910, Father Wilson bought the Rose and Crown public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Five Oak Green and turned the building into the Hoppers' Hospital. The building bore the legend E and H Kelsey's Fine Ales, Stout and Porter Sold Here over three lines. Father Wilson simply added the word NOT before the last two words. The Hoppers Hospital was in operation for over 60 years. The Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
also used to visit the hop pickers in the fields and attend to their welfare. There was also a Hoppers Hospital at Marden
Marden, Kent
Marden is a village about 13 km south of Maidstone and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of the River Beult near Maidstone. It is on the B2079 road linking the A229 Maidstone with the A21 at Flimwell. It has its own railway...
, which was not connected with the one at Five Oak Green.
Construction
Brick tax
The brick tax was introduced in Great Britain in 1784, during the reign of King George III, to help pay for the wars in the American Colonies. Bricks were initially taxed at 4s per thousand. To mitigate the effect of the tax, manufacturers began to increase the size of their bricks, up to a maximum...
in 1850, brick huts were built. Exterior walls were 9 inches (228.6 mm) thick and partitions between individual huts 4½" (115mm) thick. During the 1930s and 1940s, some Hopper Huts were built of 18 inches (457.2 mm) by 9 inches (228.6 mm) breeze blocks, these being cheap and plentiful after the end of the war. A few huts were made from pre-cast concrete at this time. Nissen Huts
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
were also used as accommodation for hop-pickers.
The huts generally had an earth floor, and were lit by either candles or paraffin lamps. Water would be via a standpipe which had to be within 150 yards (137.2 m) and sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
provided by a dedicated toilet block, usually with an earth closet
Composting toilet
A composting toilet is a dry toilet that using a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition...
. There would generally be a dedicated cookhouse which the hop-pickers would use to prepare their meals. It was generally discouraged by the farmers for the pickers to have fires in their huts. A few brick built huts were provided with custom built fireplaces and chimneys. The interior of the huts was generally limewashed or distempered
Distemper (paint)
Distemper is a term with a variety of meanings for paints used in decorating and as a historical medium for painting pictures. The binding element may be some form of glue or oil; these are known in decorating respectively as soft distemper and oil bound distemper.-Soft distemper:Distemper is an...
.
The furniture within the huts was provided by the pickers. Only very basic bedding was provided - hay and ferns, faggots and straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
, then faggots and a palliasse. Some pickers built themselves basic beds of scrap timber with a palliasse. In the late 1940s and 1950s ex-army steel frame beds were used.
George Orwell
George OrwellGeorge Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
tried his hand at hop-picking at Blest's Farm, somewhere near West Malling
West Malling
West Malling is a historic market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of about 3000-5000.-Landmarks:...
, in September 1931, travelling down from London disguised as a tramp
Tramp
A tramp is a long term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking or hiking all year round. In British English meanwhile a tramp simply refers to a homeless person, usually not a travelling one....
. He spent his time living in a Hopper Hut made of tin (corrugated iron), thus discovering that fruit and hop picking was not quite the idyllic life described by many scholars and writers of the time. Orwell earned 9/- in a week, and observed that a family of gypsies who had picked every year since birth earned 14/- each. His account was published in A Clergyman's Daughter
A Clergyman's Daughter
A Clergyman's Daughter is a 1935 novel by English author George Orwell. It tells the story of Dorothy Hare, the clergyman's daughter of the title, whose life is turned upside-down when she suffers an attack of amnesia...
in 1935.
Survival, conversion, preservation and re-creation
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
and Downs Farm, Yalding
Yalding
Yalding is a village and part of Yalding civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England.The village is situated six miles south-west of Maidstone at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the River Medway....
. A set of Hopper Huts from North Frith Farm, Hadlow
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
, has been re-erected at the Museum of Kent Life
Museum of Kent Life
Kent Life is an open air museum located at Sandling, next to Allington Locks on the east bank of the River Medway.- History :...
, Sandling
Sandling, Maidstone
Sandling is a suburb to the north of the town of Maidstone, Kent, England. Within the area is the headquarters of the Kent Wildlife Trust at Tyland Barn. Beside the River Medway is an eating place called The Malta Inn. Sandling is also home to the Museum of Kent Life...
.These were a row of six huts built of brick under a peg tiled roof, with integral fireplaces.
External links
- Hopping down in Kent All about hopping.
- Rowberry hop picking
- Hunny Pot hop picking
- Weald & Downland hop wagon
- Eastry account of the arrival of the hop-pickers
- Wiggy Smith A gypsy's account mentioning hop-picking and entertainment at the camps
- Victorian London an account of a girl flower seller from London in the 1840s, hop-picking is mentioned.
- BBC A Romany's account of the yearly cycle
- Betty Manning An account of the arrival of the hop-pickers
- 1954 hop picking A gallery of photographs of hop picking taken in 1954
- Wadhurst hops Hop picking in Wadhurst
- Froyle Hop growing in the 1900s at Froyle, Hants
- Hopping Play A play about hop-picking
- Invectis Hop Gardens, Oast Houses & Farming, Hopper Huts illustrated.