The Hop Farm

[poliphilo]

The Hop Farm has world's biggest collection of oast houses. It used to belong to Whitbread's, the brewing company- and now hosts events and gigs and weddings, offers camping facilities and has a range of kiddie attractions.  It was open to visitors yesterday but only just. Most of the attractions were closed and those that weren't were unmanned so we got into them for free (only not really because we'd already paid for a bunch of useless tokens). Ivy wanted to see the animals but the lady at the front desk said the people who ran the petting zoo had decamped overnight leaving a mess behind them.  Fortunately Ivy and Clover are at an age where everything is wonderful. Clover, who has just turned one, loved the pumpkin heads that were scattered around the site.



Clover, Ivy and friends

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

That pic just sums up kids! :o)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ivy was happy with the monsters you can see but didn't want to go any further into this building- actually a cinema- because it was dark.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I can relate to that! :o)

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

What are those funny looking funnel shaped things? Oast houses? Then I have to ask, what's an oast house? What is oast, anyway?

One thing I know about brew houses is that Joseph Priestley figured out how to get the carbon dioxide coming out of the beer fermentation into water, inventing soda water.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oast houses are where they used to roast hops to flavour beer. They're essentially enormous ovens.

Kent is a hop growing county and there are oast houses everywhere. Few- if any- are still used for their original purpose (because the technology has moved on) but many have been converted to other uses.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Awesome pics.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks